Singer Grace Nakimera has taken on businessman and social-political commentator Frank Gashumba over his controversial remarks about pastors, church miracles and religious leaders who claim to heal the sick or raise the dead.
Gashumba recently stirred debate after describing some pastors as fraudsters who use churches as money-making ventures.
He also challenged religious leaders to claim a UGX 500 million bounty if any of them could demonstrate the ability to raise a dead person or cure someone suffering from a chronic disease.
However, Nakimera believes that while Gashumba may be trying to expose fake pastors, the language he uses when discussing matters of faith is wrong and could offend believers.
The singer acknowledged that exposing fraudulent religious leaders would be a good thing but questioned the manner in which Gashumba has chosen to approach the issue.
“I don’t know his motive, whether he wants to separate the fake pastors from the genuine ones, which would be a good thing, but the language he is using is wrong,” Nakimera said.
To defend her position, the singer shared her personal experience with health challenges that she says left her searching for answers from different doctors without a clear explanation of what was wrong with her.
According to Nakimera, her situation changed after she visited a church where a pastor prayed for her. She maintains that she subsequently recovered, an experience that strengthened her belief in God’s power and the possibility of divine healing.
For her, the experience is a reminder that not everything people encounter in life can easily be explained, arguing that some matters should be left to God rather than dismissed outright.
Nakimera likened faith in God to oxygen, saying people depend on it even when they cannot fully explain its source.
She further argued that Gashumba’s achievements in business should not make him overlook the importance of faith in the lives of other people.
The singer also took issue with his previous remarks questioning why young people should not stop becoming born again, insisting that material success alone cannot replace a relationship with God.
“No matter how successful you are or what you do, if it is without God and you invite the devil into your house, it can never end well,” she argued.
Nakimera maintained that Gashumba is entitled to his personal beliefs but should not use them to dismiss the convictions of others. She insisted that criticism of fraudulent pastors should be handled without undermining Christians who genuinely believe in miracles and divine intervention.
Her remarks have added another voice to the ongoing debate over religious accountability in Uganda, with questions continuing to emerge about how to distinguish genuine spiritual leadership from alleged exploitation of believers.
