Lira, Uganda | Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Lango, Rt. Rev. John Charles Odur Kami has shared gripping accounts of his early ministry amid the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) war and other security challenges in northern Uganda.
Speaking on QFM’s Morning Talkback Program, Bishop Kami revealed that Joseph Kony, the LRA leader, once placed a $5,000 bounty on his head.
He said this was after he led a prayer at a pond reportedly used by Kony to initiate and anoint his soldiers. “The pond dried after our prayers, and this apparently angered Kony,” Bishop Kami said.
He also recalled confronting President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni in Parliament at the height of the conflict, telling him that he seemed “in the black book” for speaking out on the government’s and international community’s slow response to ending the war.
Bishop Kami described his early years as a consecrated bishop in 2001 as challenging.
The diocese did not even have a functional vehicle, and he had to travel across areas like Otuke and Kungu in a personal car that eventually broke down. Despite the hardships, he remained committed to serving his flock.
Having trained at Church Army School in Nairobi, Kenya, Bishop Kami began his ministry as a Church Army officer and warden at St. Augustine, where he introduced an English service.
He admitted that he had never dreamed of ordination, associating the path with poverty. However, he credited the late Archbishop Janan Luwum, who encouraged students in 1969 to serve God as educated and intelligent people.
Reflecting on the coincidence of the start of Lent and Ramadan this year after three decades, Bishop Kami said it is a sign of divine will and a call for unity among humanity.
Since retiring in 2017, Bishop Kami has continued to serve the Church in caretaker roles, resolving leadership challenges in Kumi, Kitgum, and Busoga dioceses. His continued involvement highlights his enduring influence and commitment to the Church of Uganda.