Many people retire into poverty, to an extent that they cannot afford the basics of life like medical care. This is even worse for the clergy, many of who work on a voluntary basis without predictable pay such as salary.
COU Family TV’s John Jimmy Musimbi spoke to the Right Reverend John Wilson Nandaah, the Bishop of Mbale Diocese on what plans the diocese has for its retired clergy.

The Bishop challenged the clergy to plan for their retirement and not blame the church saying that it did not care for them, noting that the day one is ordained, they must know that retirement awaits them.
Many people work hard and retire after decades when they are weaker. They then face a number of difficulties because of the changes that come with retirement. Some retirees even experience mental health issues such as depression and anxiety because of the change in work life reduced income.
We put these matters Bishop of Mbale Diocese, The Rt. Rev. John Wilson Nandaah and sought to know what plans the diocese has for its retiring clergy and how it helps them in living life after working for many decades. Bishop Nandaah says it remains a huge challenge but he noted that the diocese is working towards streamlining the issue.

We also engaged The Rt. Rev. Patrick Gidudu, a retired Bishop of Mbale Diocese who has been in retirement for a number of years now. The Rt. Rev. Gidudu says starting income generating activities, is a key solution to many of these challenges.

The Church of Uganda has previously held fundraising drives for ailing clerics, raising questions about the lack of systems in place to cater for the clergy’s welfare.
In 2017, a fundraising drive was held for the late Archbishop Dr. Livingstone Mpalanyi Nkoyoyo who underwent cancer treatment in the United Kingdom (UK). His medical condition required close to 265 million shillings to cover for his hospital bills.
Recently, the church also fundraised to save the life of The Right Reverend , the Assistant Bishop of Kampala Diocese who was hospitalized in United Kingdom (UK) with Leukaemia. Thankfully, with the grace of God, Bishop Mutebi won the cancer battle and is now back to work.
We also asked Bishop Nandaah to comment on claims that there’s growing divisionism in the church of Christ. He acknowledged that the vice exists but he was quick to point out that it was not a crisis but only created by a few individualistic clergy.