By Mulengera Reporters
Those who know him well say that right from childhood, Pastor Aloysius Bugingo has never accepted anyone stepping on him and get away with it. Renowned for taking no prisoners, Bugingo always focusses on extinguishing all his foes or at least go down fighting. He likes proving his sceptics wrong.
Apparently, this exactly is what awaits detractors who were beginning to write him off in the hope that the ongoing divorce row with his estranged wife Teddy Naluswa would demonize and alienate him from his vast congregation and the countrywide following he commands.
These are mostly the economically downtrodden who have always found his (rags to riches) story very inspiring. Listening to his simplified and pragmatic way of delivering gospel messages gives many such people the hope that the same God who raised him from total obscurity to undeniable prominence will someday intervene in their own situation of hopelessness.
Now consistent with his belief that the ongoing Naluswa row is a crisis from which his God must enable him emerge stronger in ways that can be verified, Bugingo has released a program that will take him on the countrywide evangelization tours and crusades covering mostly Bantu-speaking parts of Eastern and Western Uganda.
This will verifiably test the extent to which the ongoing marital woes have eroded his appeal and popularity as a pragmatic preacher of self-belief, self-reliance and economic transformation gospel.
It’s anticipated that the thanks-giving crusade he has organized on Friday 23rd September at Jinja’s Bugembe Stadium (targeting his followers from Busoga & far East) will attract mammoth crowds, paralyze traffic and put his detractors to shame. He claims that many of them had invested in escalating his marital woes in the hope that would be the end of his House of Prayer Ministries International that boasts of a multi-million-dollar piece of land in Kampala, a TV station and six (6) radio stations trading under Salt Media.
Besides the Salt Media that reaches millions of people in the country, Bugingo’s ministry also boasts of a vast online presence (e.g. Salt Media App) through which millions are reached globally.
SUNDAY MESSAGE
During today 14th July Sunday service at Canaan land, Bugingo repeated his apology to Naluswa and women activists (offended by his misconstrued message that he insulted her over the Fistula-like condition she suffered years ago).
He also clarified on reports that he had been arrested. “For much of this morning I have been answering phone calls from Ministers, MPs and top army officers inquiring on who has ordered for my arrest. Those of you with means can verify if there is any big-name police officer who hasn’t equally been rang by higher authorities seeking clarification who exactly ordered for my arrest,” Bugingo told a jubilant congregation many of whom vowed to go down with him-in case his must be sunk over anything.
He claimed the social media reports had been originated by self-seeking politicians bent at antagonizing him with the GoU. He enumerated a number of things to prove the GoU has been and continues to be very accommodative towards him even when he ordinarily has many areas of non-compliance. “See at Canaan where we meet for church every day. It’s an open place which could be an excuse for an ill-intentioned government to say don’t meet for prayers in that place. And besides we are always too many here which in itself could frighten a ruthless government to close down this place. But this has never happened and I can tell you we continue to be here by God’s grace but also because of the good will of this government,” Bugingo roared insisting that whoever wants to isolate and antagonize him with President Museveni’s government won’t succeed.
BUSOGA CRUSADE
Bugingo, for whom this will be the 2nd outdoor prayer gathering in Busoga sub region, said the 23rd September event (preceding his much-anticipated Independence Night at Namboole) will be used to publicly celebrate the admission of his Salt TV onto the Multi-Choice pay TV platforms namely Gotv and DSTV. Ensuring availability of Salt TV on the Multi-Choice channels is something the HPMI ministry has been struggling with for years. It has since been accomplished upon paying the mandatory fees, something towards which the congregation has been contributing.
Bugingo said it’s such a big milestone that can’t go uncelebrated and “because we love our friends in the Eastern region, we are celebrating this accomplishment with a large crusade in Jinja’s Bugembe stadium.” He said it would be an opportunity for all HPMI followers in the entire Eastern region to meet to thankfully pray and jubilate as members of one Christian family.
It will most likely be massive as his followers in Busoga (the reason many Jinja radios free of charge air his programs to attract audiences) will be ignoring those dismissing them as gullible to come and meet their man (pastor) who has endured lots of adversity in the last few months.
The Bugembe event, lasting 24 hours, will also be used to crown the winners of the “Enkalu Competition,” a very popular contest broadcast on all Salt Media platforms. The competition seeks to test participants’ knowledge of the biblical scriptures and Bugingo says for this year’s edition, the winners are slated to walk off with very expensive prizes which he will be announcing as surprises during the Bugembe event.
The Bugembe event will build the momentum culminating into the annual Independence Night Bugingo has annually been holding on the Friday preceding the 9th October Independence Day. He anticipates that because of the adversity he has endured, his followers are now more resolved to stick to him than ever implying that Namboole stadium (they have previously filled to capacity) may not be enough to accommodate all of them this time round.
After both Bugembe and Namboole, the controversial church minister says he will announce the subsequent program for the similar prayer crusades the HPMI will be undertaking for his followers in Western Uganda. In mind, Bugingo has Kakyeeka stadium for the Mbarara crusade and Booma Grounds for the Fort Portal one. His diehard followers are optimistic that, notwithstanding the adversity resulting from his marital woes, the upcoming events will attract unprecedentedly large crowds and permanently silence Bugingo’s detractors among fellow pastors who are eager to write him off as morally unfit to continue ministering the word. (For comments, call, text or whatsapp us on 0703164755 or email us at mulengera2040@gmail.com).
