Pastor Fred Mwesigye; Presidential Aspirant for 2020-2021 Elections
Fred Mwesigye, a born-again Ugandan Pastor and father of 5 children, is among several individuals who intend to challenge veteran leader Yoweri Museveni for the presidency next year.
The 39-year-old recently declared his intention to run for president in the 2021 polls, and also unveiled his manifesto saying this is the time for Ugandans to “resolve and get the nation back to its foundation.”
“Our fathers knew that for Uganda to realize her potential, she needs God in her political, social and economic trajectory,” he says.
“You can draw this from the National anthem where it’s stated, “Oh Uganda, may God uphold thee.” They further had it in mind that leadership is supposed to be in service to God first and then country as the motto they chose is, “For God and my country.” God is love. This means that we should build our government systems and policies on Love,” he adds.
Pastor Fred Mwesigye’s manifesto indicates that once in power, the theme of his government will be “love based on the fear of God.”
For him, this will achieve by working with all God-fearing people without discrimination or favor, but recognizing individual merit, personal abilities and credibility.
“I’m non-partisan. I neither belong to the ruling NRM party nor the main stream opposition. I stand as an independent with a Godly impulse to make a difference through the political sphere that will have a positive impact and effect on Uganda and on Africa as a whole,” he says.
Married to Fausta Nansubuga, Pastor Fred Mwesigye was raised a member of Miracle Centre Church in Entebbe under Pastor Aaron Mutebi, a ministry he belonged to until 2012. He later joined Bishop Solomon Mukonjo at Church of God World Missions in Kamwokya, Kampala as an associate pastor.
In 2017, Mwesigye founded the House of God Worship Centre Ministries International Church situated in Entebbe where he is a pastor to date. He is also the deputy director at Caznic Enterprises Limited.
Other notable Christian leaders who are candidates aspiring to contest the upcoming presidential elections and have obtained nomination papers from the Electoral Commission (EC) include Apostle Ben Israel Sseninde, Elton Joseph Mabirizi and Joseph Kabuleta.
Pastor President for a ‘Christian Nation’?
The question of whether a Pastor can take up a top-level political office has been debated for a long time in Uganda with some people saying that politics is “dirty” and that it is a lesser vocation than the pastorate.
In contrast to these interpretations, a growing number of faith leaders have mounted pressure on Churchgoers to invade the political space arguing that Christians in Uganda are very committed to the notion that, at least ideally, their leaders should be God fearing, spirit-filled and more specifically that they should be effective mediators of the divine covenant since close to 84 percent of the population in Uganda is Christian.
What does Pastor Mwesigye bring to the table?
Mwesigye’s priorities include wooing inward investment and creating economic stability for Uganda, a country of at least 42 million people, blighted by high unemployment and lagging living standards.
He says, “We need a selfless government whose mandate is to be people-focused. A government that will administer leadership with love for the nation and its people based on the fear of God. I intend to form and lead such a government. I view leadership as custodianship where decisions and actions are supposed to be taken in the best interests of the nation and the people with the view that the leader will one day be accountable to God. This is based on the fact that leadership comes from Him.”
He goes on, “In my government, service delivery will be founded on the principle of consideration of the people’s and nation’s best interest in policy formulation. I intend to establish a government that seeks to support and empower the poor and unprivileged so that they can attain middle-income status which, based on the current basic standards and cost of living, should be a minimum wage of between Ugx 800,000 and Ugx 1,000,000 per month. It is only through love based on the fear of God that we will solve many of this country’s challenges like corruption and spur development at a rate we have never imagined. Only love-based leadership will achieve the results that will make Ugandans proud of their country. This success will lead to the East African community realizing the great dream of the East African Federation which is essential for our political, economic and social freedom. This will further inspire consolidated African unity, a dream which many have deeply yearned for.”’
Find His Official Manifesto Here
