Senior Reporter
The Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Kigezi, Rt Rev Dr William Rukirande, has issued a stern warning to Christians, urging them to refrain from involvement in murder cases and emphasizing that taking another person’s life is not permissible.
Bishop Rukirande made this appeal during a gathering where several priests from the Diocese of Kigezi, dressed in black cassocks, conducted litany prayers at Rubira Church of Uganda.
The prayers were held in memory of the late lay reader, Living Aryatwijuka, whose lifeless body was found floating in the waters of River Rwabakazi the previous Saturday. Drawing parallels from the biblical story of Cain and Abel, Bishop Rukirande strongly condemned acts of murder, stating that taking a life not only harms a fellow human being but also goes against God’s commandments, inviting curses upon the perpetrators.
Bishop Rukirande shared that Aryatwijuka, a respected farmer and affluent lay reader in the diocese, may have fallen victim to malicious individuals driven by greed for monetary gain. He urged Christians to distance themselves from individuals with harmful intentions, emphasizing the sanctity of human life as paramount.
The litany prayers, led by the Dean of St Peter’s Cathedral Rugarama, the Very Rev Obed Turihohabwe, included various petitions expressed through prayers and songs. Intercessory prayers were conducted by clergy members seeking deliverance from evil, spiritual harm, and natural calamities, invoking the power of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. In response to the tragic incident, the intercessory prayers passionately conveyed the community’s grief and sought divine intervention.
The prayer session concluded with a solemn clergy procession covering approximately 2 kilometers, symbolizing a collective protest against such murderous acts in the area. Aryatwijuka went missing on Monday, the 15th, and his lifeless body, bearing several injuries, was discovered on Saturday, the 20th, floating in River Rwabakazi.
On Sunday, the 21st, he was laid to rest at his ancestral home in Katookye cell, Kigata parish, Kyanamira Sub County, Kabale District
