GPN Patron Mugisha Commissions Mukono SACCO Offices, Donates Shs15 Million to Boost Pastors’ Economic Empowerment

MUKONO, October 15, 2026— The National President and Patron of the Generation Pastors Network (GPN), Apostle Gift Mugisha, has called on religious leaders in Uganda to embrace entrepreneurship, agriculture and savings initiatives to improve their livelihoods, saying spiritual growth must go hand in hand with economic empowerment.

Mugisha made the call on Thursday while commissioning the Mukono District Generational Pastors Fellowship Savings and Credit Cooperative Organisation (SACCO) offices located along Ssaza Road in Mukono Municipality.

During the ceremony, Mugisha donated Shs15 million to the SACCO to support its efforts to improve the financial well-being of pastors and other members through savings, access to credit and investment in income-generating activities.

“Our mission is to break the spirit of poverty which has perturbed the Pentecostal Church in Uganda over time. It’s time for the born-again Christians to come out of poverty,” Mugisha said.

He challenged pastors to move beyond preaching about prosperity and take practical steps towards improving their own economic circumstances, urging them to establish businesses, engage in commercial agriculture and adopt a culture of saving and investing.

Mugisha observed that religious leaders have an important role to play in transforming the economic lives of their congregations and communities, adding that the church should actively participate in programmes that promote sustainable livelihoods.

He encouraged pastors to lead by example by venturing into farming, developing businesses and creating employment opportunities rather than depending solely on financial contributions from their congregations.

According to Mugisha, the time has come for born-again Christians to embrace practical economic activities that can help them overcome poverty, support their families and contribute to national development.

He further urged religious leaders to encourage their followers to become job creators instead of remaining job seekers, emphasising the importance of combining prayer with hard work, financial discipline and entrepreneurship. 

SACCO to promote business growth and investment

The Mukono District Generational Pastors Fellowship SACCO is expected to provide a financial platform through which pastors and other members can mobilise savings, access business loans and invest in productive ventures.

The SACCO, chaired by Apostle Moses Kabanda, who is also the Chairperson of GPN Mukono and lead pastor at House of Restoration Ministries, has hundreds of members and is expected to focus on financing small and medium-sized enterprises, business expansion and agribusiness, among other income-generating initiatives.

The initiative is intended to help church leaders build sustainable sources of income, strengthen their financial independence and improve their capacity to serve their congregations and communities.

Kabanda said the Generation Pastors Network brings together church leaders from different generations, with a shared commitment to spiritual growth, economic empowerment and national development.

He noted that the network recognises the importance of addressing the economic challenges facing religious leaders and their families, adding that collective savings and access to affordable financing can help members establish and expand viable businesses.

The commissioning of the Mukono offices marks another step in GPN's efforts to use SACCOs as instruments for mobilising resources and supporting economic transformation among Pentecostal and born-again Christian communities. 

Plans for a born-again Christians' bank

Mugisha also revealed plans to establish what he described as Uganda's first bank specifically targeting born-again Christians, outlining a broader ambition to expand the network's financial empowerment initiatives beyond SACCO operations.

He called on GPN leaders and members to increase their savings, expand their trading activities and invest in larger-scale agricultural and business ventures as part of efforts to build a stronger economic base.

According to Mugisha, SACCOs will serve as an important foundation for the initiative by enabling members to accumulate savings, build their financial portfolios and develop a culture of investment.

The proposed bank would represent a further step in the network's economic empowerment agenda, although details regarding its establishment, regulatory approval, capitalisation and operational timeline were not provided at the event.

Mugisha's message centred on the need for religious institutions to complement their spiritual mission with practical interventions that improve the economic welfare of their members.

He maintained that economic empowerment should be treated as an essential component of community transformation, with pastors playing a leading role in encouraging responsible financial management and productive investment. 

Pastors endorse Muhoozi's 2031 presidential bid

The commissioning ceremony also featured a political mobilisation exercise in which pastors expressed support for General Muhoozi Kainerugaba ahead of the 2031–2036 presidential election cycle.

The religious leaders signed endorsement books as part of a nationwide initiative seeking to collect 20 million signatures in support of Kainerugaba, who is the national chairman of the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) and has declared his intention to contest for the presidency in 2031.

The exercise formed part of efforts by his supporters to mobilise backing for his anticipated presidential bid.

The pastors also expressed support for President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), citing what they described as the government's contribution to Uganda's development in the areas of peace, economic growth and infrastructure since it came to power in 1986.

Their remarks reflected the political position expressed by participants at the gathering, which brought together religious leaders around discussions on economic empowerment and the country's development.

The political endorsement was a separate component of the event from the commissioning of the SACCO offices and Mugisha's financial contribution to the cooperative. 

Faith and economic transformation

GPN's economic empowerment agenda places emphasis on the belief that spiritual development should be accompanied by practical measures to improve household incomes, create employment and strengthen community resilience.

Through SACCOs, the network seeks to encourage members to save collectively, access financing and undertake investments that can generate sustainable returns.

For religious leaders, such initiatives could provide opportunities to diversify their sources of income, reduce financial vulnerability and support development programmes within their communities.

The Mukono SACCO is expected to play a central role in translating these objectives into practical interventions by providing members with a structured platform for savings, borrowing and business development.

Mugisha's donation of Shs15 million, coupled with his call for pastors to embrace agriculture and entrepreneurship, underscored the network's push to make economic empowerment a central pillar of its activities.

As GPN continues to expand its initiatives, its leadership is urging pastors and believers to adopt a more active role in wealth creation, with the broader objective of reducing poverty and strengthening the contribution of Pentecostal communities to Uganda's social and economic development.