By Siyasa Jimmy
Nnaabagereka Sylvia Nagginda, the Queen of Buganda, has called on the Church of Uganda’s academic institutions to place character formation on an equal footing with academic excellence, warning that producing skill without moral grounding leaves the nation poorer.
The Queen was guest of honour at the opening of the Church’s 28th Provincial Assembly, hosted at Uganda Christian University (UCU) Main Campus in Mukono. Addressing bishops of the Church of Uganda, clergy and institutional heads, she impressed on heads of Church-founded schools the necessity of taking moral formation as seriously as classroom achievement.
“Schools must prioritise character formation alongside academic excellence,” she said, cautioning that the nation suffers when it produces intellectuals without moral grounding. She urged investment in “deliberate programmes that nurture responsible, God-fearing citizens.”
Reflecting on the invitation of missionaries by Kabaka Mutesa I, 1875, the Nnaabagereka recalled that their coming “was for knowledge and transformation.”
The message resonated at UCU, which was founded by the Church of Uganda and whose bishops serve as trustees of the University. For the institution, welcoming the Province to Mukono is both an honour and a homecoming. Ahead of the assembly, the University’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi, hosted the Church’s bishops to dinner and briefed them on UCU’s status and recent developments.
The Nnaabagereka also commended the leadership of the Church of Uganda for driving socio-economic transformation “through income-generating projects that support mission and ministry,” and encouraged the Province’s entities to pursue innovative strategies for sustained growth. “Let archdeaconries, parishes and congregations innovate and invest, guided by the gospel and sound stewardship, so that our churches are both spiritually vibrant and economically resilient,” she said.
She further applauded the Church’s commitment to biblical truth and morality, and urged continued vigilance in appointing leaders whose convictions align with scriptural principles so that, in her words, the Church “remains a moral compass for a changing world.”
Her remarks came as the Church prays for a successor to the current Archbishop, who is conducting farewell visits to dioceses ahead of his retirement in 2027.
The Archbishop of the Church of Uganda and Chancellor of UCU, His Grace the Most Rev. Dr. Stephen Samuel Kaziimba Mugalu, commended the Nnaabagereka for promoting social behaviour change and the moral upbringing of young people through her cultural leadership training camp, Ekisaakaate kya Nnaabagereka. “We are so grateful for the Nnaabagereka Foundation, which you started for the purpose of skilling young people and ensuring that they have moral values,” he said.
Nnaabagereka also drew attention to family breakdown as an urgent national concern, pointing to rising divorce, gender-based violence, substance abuse and the plight of street children. She called on the Church to strengthen premarital and marital counselling and to scale up advocacy and safe spaces for victims, cautioning that premarital counselling should not be reduced to “a rubber stamp” for a marriage certificate.
The Assembly opened on Tuesday, 4 August 2026 with the arrival of delegates and runs until 7 August, themed “Anchored in Christ for Unity, Stability and Peace,” Ephesians 2: 14-17.
About the Assembly
The Provincial Assembly is the governing body of the Church of Uganda. Meeting every two years, it brings together the House of Bishops, the House of Clergy and the House of Laity — bishops, clergy and lay delegates from all 39 dioceses, representing more than 13 million members. Delegates deliberate on the plans, policies and priorities that guide the Church’s ministry for the next two years.
