The Government of Uganda has for a while sought to “regulate” religious freedoms under the guise of protecting its citizens. This has essentially taken the form of the controversial Religious and Faith-Based Organizations (RFBOs) Policy whose proponents are majorly officials in the Office of the President and the Directorate of Ethics and Integrity (DEI) alongside some religious leaders. However, this policy has serious repercussions in so far as religious freedoms in Uganda are concerned; but first, let us examine the doctrine of separation of religion and state and what this means to an ordinary Ugandan. Separation of religion and state refers to a phenomenon where all religious communities are equal before the law and are clearly separated from the state. It ensures that government does not show preference to a certain religion and that government does not take away an individual’s right to exercise religion. With specific reference to the church, separation of church and state would mean that the church cannot rule over the state and the state cannot rule over the church. The degree of separation may vary but the rationale for the doctrine of separation of religion and state is mainly enhancement of mutual respect, efficacy […]
