The church is the perfect guide for what behaviour, life and faith should be about and is the sole religious enumerator for many believers. However, this cannot be said for Catholic parishioners in Ibanda who say they are “disgusted” by the behaviour of their priests who are meant to be the look-to examples.
Parishioners at Ibanda Parish especially the main Kagongo church are up in arms with the behaviour of the Parish Priest- Fr. JB Turyaheebwawho has reportedly turned the church into a lifestyle resort of sorts with good food, drink, money and even women.
Un-Godly acts
The parishioners accuse the priest of among many things misusing church property to generate personal funds. They claim the priest has turned part of the church land into a money making venture for him. “The priest allows sand miners to dig truck fulls of sand which are sold on a daily basis in Ibanda town but we have not seen him declare the proceeds” said one resident. They (parishioners) also allege the church forests are being depleted for firewood, timber on a daily basis and they are worried the church land will soon be bare.
I am not a vegetarian!
The biggest “crime” the parishioners accuse their priest of is depleting their livestock numbers that includes goats, chicken and cows. The priest reportedly eats chicken and goats in “all forms”. It is said he breaks his fast on 3 fried eggs, washed down with milk and sausages, eats 2 boiled eggs with yoghurt at 10am, a whole chicken for lunch before eating another for dinner. This good feeding means an average 10 chickens, including a tray of eggs and over 20 litres of milk are consumed between Monday to Friday.
Come Saturday morning, the priest orders for the fatest he-goat to be slaughtered. He starts off with its offals for katogo, goats meat for lunch before hosting a barbeque for his friends in the evening. Another goat is then also slaughtered for Sunday with the same eating routine. “You expect me to feed on beans and vegetables when I am the parish priest overseeing all these chickens and goats” was the response Fr. Turyaheebwa when asked why he preferred to feed on only meat.
Same story, different places
The story isn’t any different at Kihani Parish. The priest at the church- Fr. Godfrey Barugahare turned onto the church property made it look like his own. Worse, the priest reportedly poached on other parishioners wives, swindled church funds meant to build their new church and sold part of the church land.
The parishioners took the law in their own arms after numerous petitions to the Archdiocese in Mbarara to change their priest. They mobilised and ousted the Fr. Barugahare who has since been ex-communicated from the church pending investigations.