Members of Parliament have tasked the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda IRCU) to defend the position of the church, that monogamy is the only form of accepted Christian marriage.
MPs said that a section of pastors they have interacted with over the Marriage Bill, 2024 have provided biblical scriptures, citing patriarchs who were polygamous yet shared a special relationship with God.
“Yesterday we had pastors from World Plumbling Church Ministries, they have over 100 churches all over the country and they believe in polygamy. They were quoting the bible, quoting Kings David and Solomon who had married many wives. Where are the Christian doctrines saying a Christian man should marry one wife?” asked Hon. Rosemary Nyakikongoro (NRM, Sheema District Woman MP).
This was during the meeting of the joint committee on Legal and Parliamentary Affairs and the Committee of Gender, Labor and Social Development interfacing with the IRCU on the Marriage Bill, 2024 on Thursday, 20 February 2025.
Nyakikongoro said the pastors who themselves are polygamous are misleading the masses using Christianity to promote what appeared to her as promiscuity.
“It disturbed me, their teaching rotates around sexual satisfaction as the ground for taking more than one wife. We want clarity such that our people do not confuse marriage with promiscuity,” Nyakikongoro said.
Workers’ MP, Hon. Charles Bakkabulindi said unlike Muslims who agree on how marriages are conducted, Christians are unclear and are likely to confuse people with varying interpretations of the Bible on marriage.
“We have a problem of Christians speaking different languages especially those in the born-again faith. They are quoting the bible interpreting it differently. I am asking who is the main interpreter of the bible?” asked Bakkabulindi.
Bakkabulindi asked IRCU to harmonise their position with their dissenting members citing Pastors; Martin Ssempa and Solomon Male who appeared before the committees defending Christian polygamy.
The chairperson of the committee on Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Hon. Stephen Bakka, proposed that the Bill could handle Christian marriages just like how the Bahai, Hindu and Muslim marriages are catered for.
“Why don’t we say that Christian marriages shall be conducted according to the beliefs, customs, rites of the religious denominations, that is if you marry in the Catholic church you will be bound by its doctrines, the same for church of Uganda and other faith such that we avoid legislating on faith?” asked Bakka.
The Co-Chairperson, IRCU Council of Presidents, Apostle Joseph Serwadda, pledged to consult widely and rebut the proponents of polygamous Christian marriages.
“I will need to consult with the Archbishop of Church of Uganda, the Episcopal Council of the Catholic Church, hierarchy of the Seventh Day Adventists, the entire scope of the born-again faith, the Orthodox Church and other groups and affiliates,” Serwada said.
Serwada reiterated that the position of IRCU is to preserve both Christian and civil marriages in their original form and asked if those who want polygamy in Christianity can state examples of a man who married more than one wife in the New Testament of Bible.
