Kampala, Uganda
An Anglican priest who has been battling the church in court for the last two-and-a-half years for blocking his consecration as bishop of a diocese in eastern Uganda has resigned his office and joined a breakaway group.
In his resignation letter addressed to the Bishop of Kumi Diocese, dated 4th April, 2022, Rev Charles Okunya stated that he was resigning his office to pursue further studies.
“I humbly write to bring your notice to the above subject matter,” he wrote. “I have taken this considered opinion so as to enable me pursue further studies, let alone also get instants to wait upon the Lord for his next divine guidance upon my life in His Vineyard.”
Rev Charles Okunya (centre) and other priests under the African Orthodox Church arriving for a service on Sunday at Kumi Boma Grounds. PICTURE: John Semakula.
Before tendering in his resignation, Okunya served as the priest of Kumi Diocese for over 16 years. His resignation letter was received by the diocesan secretary, Rev Simon Omoding on 4th April, who later wished him well in his future endeavours.
As Christians in the diocese were still grappling with the news of Okunya’s resignation, however, they learnt that he had joined a breakaway sect called the African Orthodox Church. The African Orthodox Church is led by Prof Jonathan Kyangasha who also quit the Anglican Church in 2017 after he was defrocked by Bishop Reuben Kisembo of Rwenzori Diocese over alleged misconduct and misappropriation of church funds.
Kyangasha received Okunya at a service at Kumi Boma Grounds in eastern Uganda last month and introduced him to the flock as the bishop-elect for the African Orthodox Church’s Diocese of Upper Nile. He also announced that Rev Okunya’s consecration as the bishop-elect would happen soon.
Kyangasha said Okunya was free to lead prayers, baptise and wed couples in the church, even before the consecration. Okunya, meanwhile, told the flock that he had been mistreated together with his supporters by the rich clergy in the Anglican Church, which had forced him to quit.
“Now that we have started another church, it’s my message to everybody to subscribe to the African Orthodox Church,” Okunya said.
Okunya’s tribulations started after he was elected by the House of Bishops of the Anglican Church of Uganda as the second bishop of Kumi Diocese on 19th November, 2019. His consecration was later blocked after a group of Christians who petitioned the then-Archbishop, Stanley Ntagali, and claimed that Okunya had forged his age to qualify to be elected bishop.
Okunya had indicated in his documents for consideration to the office that he was born in 1970, instead of 1975. The House of Bishops subsequently constituted a committee to investigate the matter whose findings proved that Okunya had, indeed, not reached the 45 years required for one to become a bishop in the Province of the Anglican Church of Uganda. In the Archbishop’s letter to Okunya, he indicated that the House of Bishops of the Anglican Church of Uganda had resolved that his name should never appear in future as a candidate for the bishop’s office under the Province of the Church of Uganda.
The archbishop then appointed the Rt Rev Charles Ordurkami, retired Bishop of Lango Diocese in northern Uganda, as the caretaker of the diocese, until a new bishop was elected.
After Okunya took the matter to court, his petition was dismissed by Justice Musa Ssekaana, of the High Court in Kampala, who maintained that Okunya forged his age, given that all the eight different documents presented to court had indicated that he was born on 23rd November, 1975 and not in 1970. Dissatisfied with the findings of court, some of those who sympathised with Okunya threatened to break-away from the Anglican Church of Uganda and recall the land their forefathers gave the church to build churches in the diocese.
Since then, the conflict between Okunya’s camp and the church had only deteriorated.
In February, 2022, some of Okunya’s supporters took the Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Uganda, Dr Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu, to court for failing to follow the law in electing the new bishop of the diocese.
Led by Nekemiah Akongel, James Opedun and Joseph Etoori, the group asked court to stay the consecration of the Rt Rev Michael Okwii Esakan as the second Bishop of Kumi Diocese, as well as revoke his election by the House of Bishops which had taken place on 9th February.
The applicants argued in their petition filed on 24th February that the process which resulted in the election of Esakan was “fraudulent and unconstitutional since the nomination committee was illegally constituted to replace the synod that did not have elected members at the time the exercise kicked off”.
However, Justice Henry Peter Adonyo of the Soroti High Court in eastern Uganda, found, in a ruling made on 4th April, no merit in their application and dismissed it, paving the way for Esakan’s consecration on 6th March.
