KAMPALA — A tense government meeting in Sembabule District was brought back under control after Minister of Local Government Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi broke into a gospel hymn, prompting participants to join in and easing a confrontation that had erupted during discussions on the implementation of the Parish Development Model (PDM).
Videos widely shared on social media show Barugahara leading officials in singing “Tukutendereza,” a well-known Ugandan Christian hymn often associated with moments of reflection and reconciliation, after an exchange of raised voices disrupted the meeting in Kakinga, Sembabule District.
The meeting had been convened to assess the implementation and utilization of Parish Development Model funds, one of the government’s flagship poverty alleviation programmes.
According to videos circulating online, the disagreement involved Mawogola West Member of Parliament Anifa Kawooya, Lwemiyaga County MP Rtd. Brig. Gen. Emmanuel Rwashande and the Resident District Commissioner, with participants exchanging animated remarks around a conference table.
As tensions escalated, Barugahara, seated at the head of the meeting, began singing “Tukutendereza.” One by one, those present joined in the hymn, bringing the discussion to a calmer tone before the meeting resumed.
The videos have attracted widespread attention online, with many social media users praising the minister’s unconventional approach to de-escalating the situation.
Barugahara, who was appointed Minister of Local Government in the new administration, has been leading engagements with local government leaders across the country on service delivery, governance and implementation of government programmes, including the Parish Development Model.
The Parish Development Model, launched by the government to transition subsistence households into the money economy, remains one of Uganda’s key socio-economic transformation programmes, with district leaders playing a central role in overseeing the utilization and accountability of funds.
Neither the Ministry of Local Government nor the political leaders involved had publicly commented on the cause of the disagreement by the time of publication. However, the incident has sparked online discussion, with many focusing less on the dispute itself than on the minister’s decision to use a familiar gospel hymn to restore order during the meeting.