The daughter of Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni and First Lady Janet Museveni has been consecrated as a bishop.

Pastor Patience Kokundeka Museveni Rwabwogo, the third-born child and second daughter of the first family, was consecrated as an Episcopal Bishop of Covenant Nations Church in Uganda and beyond.

Patience’s consecration came 20 years after founding the ministry as a small house fellowship. The ceremony was held at Covenant Hill in Maya, about 27 kilometers southwest of Kampala, and was led by Bishop Dr. LaDonna Osborn, the Chief Consecrator.

Bishop Osborn presided over the consecration and presented Bishop Patience with her certificate and Bible. Archbishop Moses Odongo and Bishop Joshua Lwere served as co-consecrators.

First woman to be ordained bishop

The ceremony marked a significant milestone in Uganda’s Christian history, with Bishop Patience becoming the first woman to be ordained as a bishop in Uganda.

The occasion brought together senior Christian leaders, government officials, family members, believers and friends who witnessed Bishop Patience formally assume a wider responsibility in church leadership and ministry.

Among those present were Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye and his wife, Pastor (Mrs.) Folu Adeboye, global leaders of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), who were recognised for their role in Patience’s spiritual journey.

Presenting Bishop Patience on behalf of the elders of Covenant Nations Church, Mrs. Allen Kagina said her journey to the episcopal office had been shaped by two decades of ministry, service, leadership and commitment to the Christian faith.

Mrs. Kagina said the elders had carefully considered Patience’s character, conduct, doctrine, leadership and ministry before presenting her for consecration.

“Twenty years ago, God planted within her heart a vision that began humbly as a small house fellowship. What appeared small in the eyes of men carried within it the seed of a much greater work,” Mrs. Kagina said. “She has consistently proclaimed that the Gospel must transform the whole person.”

Museveni congratulates daughter

President Museveni congratulated his daughter on her consecration, describing the occasion as significant not only for the family but also for the historical journey of Christianity in Uganda.

He took the opportunity to thank God for the recovery of the First Lady, Maama Janet Museveni, and commended the medical personnel who cared for her, as well as their children Muhoozi, Natasha, Patience and Diana for supporting her during the period.

“First of all, I thank God for the recovery of Maama. Apart from thanking God, I want to salute and thank the medical staff who have been involved in treating her, and also our children Muhoozi, Natasha, Patience and Diana, who have been together with the medical staff taking care of her,” President Museveni said.

Museveni then reflected on the significance of Patience becoming a bishop, placing her consecration within the broader history of faith in Uganda. He recalled that Muslims arrived in Uganda in 1841, followed by Anglicans in 1877 and Catholics in 1879, noting that several generations of his family lived through those developments without joining the Church.

“My great fathers were alive; they never joined the Church. My grandparents were also alive; they never joined the Church. It was Mzee Kaguta who joined the Church for the first time in 1947. But in all these years, I had never even heard of a catechist. Today, I have a whole Bishop,” he said.

The President also revealed that, despite having spent years studying the Bible, Patience’s own studies had challenged some of his understanding.

“I was not paying attention to Patience’s church things, but I had spent 12 years studying the Bible day by day from 1953. We would start the whole book of Genesis, finish it, go to Exodus, finish it, then Leviticus, Deuteronomy and the others. I thought I knew the Bible,” he said.

He said he was surprised by some of the historical and biblical perspectives he encountered in Patience’s documents.

“I was surprised when I learned from Patience about the descendants of Lot and Esau, who were not Jews. I had never heard anyone talking about it. But when I read Patience’s documents, they informed me about it. I surrendered because she had read the Bible,” President Museveni said.

President Museveni then thanked everyone who had participated in consecration process and disclosed that, in keeping with their traditional practice, he and the First Lady had given Bishop Patience 50 cows.

“In our traditional way, I gave Patience 50 cows, and the cows are from Maama and myself.”

‘A special day’

First Lady Maama Janet Museveni described the occasion as a special day for the family and the Body of Christ.

“Today, we celebrate the consecration of our daughter, Patience, to the office of a Bishop. We are overwhelmed with joy and thanksgiving at the great honour You have bestowed over us in choosing one of our children to serve You in this capacity,” she said.

She paid tribute to earlier generations of the family whose faith and service, she said, had laid a foundation for the ministry.

20 years of Covenant Nations Church ministry

The occasion marked both the culmination of 20 years of Covenant Nations Church ministry and the beginning of a new chapter in Bishop Patience’s service to the Church.

From a small house fellowship two decades ago to a wider ministry and now the episcopal office, her consecration was presented by church leaders as a call not to prominence, but to greater responsibility.

The ceremony was also attended by senior government officials, including Vice President H.E. Jessica Alupo, NRM First National Vice Chairperson Al-Hajji Moses Kigongo, Cabinet ministers, religious and cultural leaders, family members and other guests.