Pastor Robert Kayanja of the Rubaga-based Miracle Centre Church has met President Salva Kiir of South Sudan and other leaders over peace and a call to end the prevailing conflicts.
In all the meetings, the Man of God prayed for South Sudan, Africa’s youngest nation to have peace and put an end to the current conflicts and tribal wars that have forced many citizens to flee the country.
Uganda hosts at least 1.2 million refugees from South Sudan. The meeting with the President took place at State House in Juba on March 7, 2023. Prior to this, Pastor Kayanja, on the same day, met the Vice President, James Wani Igga at his official residence in Juba.
During both visits, Kayanja handed his recently published book,
“Re-addressing the Imbalance-Breaking Africa’s 400-year bondage of confusion, stagnation, poverty, sickness and disease’ to both the President and his vice. The book reads about practical action points that Africa needs to take, to ensure that it rises from the ashes to glories that its ancestors dreamt of.
While meeting Vice President Igga, Pastor Kayanja said the book has a page written by President Yoweri Museveni giving his ideas about challenges faced by Africa.
Pastor Kayanja would then dedicate a special prayer for the President and the Vice, the nation and all leaders to embrace peace.
“We pray for the President, for the peace in South Sudan, Father in the name of Jesus we thank you, you are such a good God and a wonderful God. You brought this nation to its current situation, we just bless South Sudan by blessing its leaders, Lord you told us in the Bible, that when we pray for those who are in authority, the people will live in peace, because the heart of a king is in the hand of God. We pray for his life, pray for his family, his siblings, we pray for his coworkers, we pray for those who are working with him in this office, Lord bring wisdom to the leaders of this nation, bring
prosperity to South Sudan, let them solve the problems they have; floods in some areas, hunger in some areas, we just pray that the peace of God that surpasses all our understanding will crown this peace and this nation in Jesus’ mighty name. Lord heal South Sudan, build South Sudan, and prosper South Sudan, her people, the nation, the economy, everything they have to do, in Jesus mighty name, we pray. Amen.”
Kayanja asked Igga to visit Miracle Centre Cathedral when he comes to Uganda.
Pastor Kayanja’s visit came a few weeks after Pope Francis and the
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.
He preached twice at the three-day Juba mega Miracle Crusade and also addressed religious leaders under the Evangelical Alliance of South Sudan that brings together over 20 churches during a ‘Believers’ Conference’ at the World Victory Centre Church in Gumba-Sherketa in the Western bank of river Nile.
On Tuesday he also addressed guests at a breakfast meeting at the Imperial Royal Hotel in Juba.
Earlier on Monday, Deng Dau Deng Malek, the South Sudan deputy
Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, said the
country was yearning for peace, blessings and prayer.
He said the current problems South Sudan was facing cannot be solved by one person or by political parties but through prayers.
“The problems we have in South Sudan cannot be solved by one person, or by political parties, they will be solved by prayers,” said Deng when he accompanied Pastor Kayanja at the Ugandan High Commission in Juba.
They were received by James Idule-Amoko, the deputy head of
mission who represented his boss, Brig. Gen. Ronnie Balya who was away.
Deng, who said Pastor Kayanja was not only a guest of the Church but
of South Sudan, said he had arrived in the country to cement the recent pastoral mission of Pope Francis and the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby who were in the country to wish Africa’s youngest nation peace.
“You have come here three times, the Bible says knock on the door and it will be opened, ask and you will be given, people of South Sudan are yearning for peace and we need your blessings,” the minister said.
He said the visit reminded them of the 2014 earlier visit when he delivered for the starving people not only in Juba but the rest of the country.
The minister said the country indeed needed prayers to address the imbalances, and get rid of confusion and conflict.
“We need such kind of great prayer to heal our hearts, we need to confess before you that we have sinned, we need to confess upon you that we need blessings across this country,” the minister said.
He applauded Uganda as a country for having stood with them since the 60s and up to recently, when President Yoweri Museveni decided to work with to remove all the hurdles they were facing.
“We are grateful to the people of Uganda. I have visited camps in Bidi Bidi in West Nile and other camps in Northern Uganda where we have over Shs1.2m South Sudanese that are being fed, provided with water, education and other needs,” he said, adding that it was a time for them also to settle back home.
He informed Kayanja that this was a crucial visit and it was important for him to see how far South Sudan
had moved. “We have moved. I lost my leg during the war in which I
participated, we know where we have come from and when you come as a man of God we value your visit”.
He also asked him to bless not only the country, but their pockets, souls, their work, and above all for them to safely go through the looming cabinet mini reshuffle. “But above all, which is crucial, that there is peace in South Sudan”.
Deng revealed that the entire country was still in jubilation after two weeks back when their king, honored President Salva Kiir, for the first time.
“We know big things are happening in this country, our king has honored the President and you too have come, the bigger things that we shall need is peace,” he said and officially received him on behalf of the government. In response, Pastor Kayanja said it was a beautiful moment to be in South Sudan for the third time.
“The first time I was here at the eve of independence, (July 2011) we had meetings and the second time I came here to respond to the needs of South Sudan that followed a misunderstanding that led people to starve,” he explained.
He added that he worked together with Gen Caleb Akandwanaho aka Salim Saleh, Senior Presidential Advisor on Defence in Uganda and mobilized relief food, which was flagged off by President Museveni at Rubaga Miracle Centre.
“I flew in here and handed the food to H.E. President Salva Kiir to
feed our people,” he said, adding that it was the first and probably
the largest contribution any African country had ever given to another
African country.
He said there were 80 trucks full of food, medicine, sugar, and other things, and it was a gesture of the relationship Uganda has with South Sudan.
“This is the third time I have come back to South Sudan not to see you independent, or see you not starving, but to witness the development of what is happening in South Sudan. It is a miracle,” he said, adding that he was grateful that the government of South Sudan had done its best to foster progress.
Uganda, he said, was grateful to South Sudan for hosting her people who are working and living in the country and commended the high
commission for maintaining good relations.
Kayanja also commended the
government of South Sudan for the freedom of worship, which he said allows people to contribute to their society. He said in the previous two days the people had received the gospel and they were peaceful.
“People here love God, and the gospel gives them hope and salvation.”
The meeting was attended by other bishops and representatives of religious leaders from the Evangelical Alliance of South Sudan.