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Mushemeza addressing a rally at Rugarama sub-county head quarters recently
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Sheema
Clergy from the West Ankole Diocese have demanded that Prof. Elijah Dickens Mushemeza, the Sheema South MP, issue a formal apology following a TikTok video in which he allegedly insulted church leaders.
In the video, Mushemeza is heard verbally abusing Ven. Rev. Laban Batungire, the Archdeacon of Mitooma Archdeaconry, after Rev. Batungire accused him of cheating in the 2021 parliamentary elections. The legislator went further, questioning the integrity of clergy in the diocese.
“What kind of church leader are you? Churches in this diocese don’t even know what they are preaching,” Mushemeza said in the recording — remarks that have sparked outrage among men and women of God.
The clergy described his statements as unbecoming of a national leader and an affront to the church, calling for a public apology in the interest of peace and mutual respect.
This is not the first time Prof. Mushemeza has faced backlash for controversial remarks. In 2023, while officiating at Teachers’ Day in Kitagata Town Council, he was accused of belittling teachers, claiming they were “too poor to manage a strike.” At the time, teachers in Sheema South had organised a demonstration over salary disparities.
Those incidents are now being cited by critics who accuse him of a pattern of disrespect toward public servants and religious figures.
Prof. Mushemeza recently lost the NRM party flag for Sheema South to Prof. Ephraim Kamuntu in the primaries. Kamuntu polled 16,442 votes, while Mushemeza garnered 11,616.
The defeat effectively ended his bid to contest as the ruling party’s candidate in the next election, and observers say his latest attack on clergy may further erode his credibility among constituents.
Torch Media Africa
