President Yoweri Museveni and First Lady Janet Museveni have celebrated a major milestone in their daughter Patience Rwabwogo’s ministry, with the President and his wife gifting her 50 cows after she was consecrated as an Episcopal Bishop.

Pastor Patience Museveni Rwabwogo was consecrated as an Episcopal Bishop of Covenant Nations Church on Sunday, during a ceremony held at Covenant Hill, Maya, in Wakiso District.

The consecration marked 20 years of ministry for Rwabwogo, who founded and leads Covenant Nations Church. President Museveni and First Lady Janet attended the ceremony, alongside senior government officials, religious leaders and hundreds of worshippers.

A notable moment during the celebrations was the gift of 50 cows from Museveni and Janet to their daughter.

The President presented the cattle as a family gift to mark Patience’s consecration and the new responsibility she was taking on as a bishop.

The gift added a distinctly Ugandan cultural touch to a ceremony centred on Patience’s elevation to the episcopal office.

Odrek Rwabwogo, Patience’s husband, described her consecration as a deeply significant moment for their family and the Covenant Nations Church community. Reflecting on more than 20 years of watching her serve, he said she had taught their family three important lessons: the importance of repentance, the need to resist the seduction of power and materialism, and the value of committing oneself to something greater than self. Odrek said Patience had remained focused on her calling, family, faith and service to others, adding that these qualities would strengthen the many people now entrusted to her care as a bishop.

President Museveni also used the occasion to express his gratitude to God for his wife’s recovery after her recent health crisis.

He thanked the medical personnel who cared for Janet and praised their children, Muhoozi, Natasha, Patience and Diana, for standing with their mother during her illness.

Janet’s attendance was particularly significant because the ceremony marked one of her first major public appearances since she fell ill earlier this year. 

The consecration represents the culmination of two decades of Christian ministry for Rwabwogo.

She established Covenant Nations Church and has served as its senior pastor. The church’s 20th anniversary celebrations were held alongside her episcopal consecration, making Sunday’s event a double milestone for the ministry.

The service reached its main ceremony shortly after 2 p.m., when American evangelist Bishop Dr LaDonna C. Osborn called Rwabwogo forward for her episcopal dedication.

Osborn led the consecration, assisted by Pastor Enoch Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God in Nigeria, Archbishop Moses Odongo of the Pentecostal Churches in Uganda and other senior Christian leaders.

Adeboye had arrived in Uganda several days earlier with his wife, Pastor Folu Adeboye, ahead of the ceremony. 

In his remarks, Museveni thanked Pastor Adeboye and Bishop LaDonna Osborn for joining the family and congregation for what he described as an important occasion.

The President also spoke about his family’s history with Christianity, recalling that his father, Mzee Kaguta, joined the Church in 1947.

Museveni said that while different religions had reached the family’s area many years earlier, his father’s decision to join the Church marked an important point in the family’s Christian history.

He celebrated Patience’s consecration by noting that he now had “a whole Bishop” in the family.

The President also used the occasion to remind religious leaders about what he sees as the practical responsibilities of Christianity.

He said the substance of Christianity should include healing the sick, feeding the hungry and freeing people from bondage, reflecting the work of Jesus.

Museveni congratulated Bishop Patience and wished her strength and wisdom as she begins her new responsibilities.

His remarks linked the personal celebration of his daughter’s consecration with a broader message about the role of religious institutions in serving communities.

For First Lady Janet Museveni, the occasion also provided an opportunity to publicly express gratitude for her recovery.

During the ceremony, Janet thanked God for restoring her health and spoke about the support she received during her illness. 

Her appearance had attracted considerable public attention because she had been away from several major public engagements in recent months.

The First Lady’s return to public life therefore became another significant part of the day’s events, alongside her daughter’s consecration.

Bishop LaDonna C. Osborn’s presence also carried historical significance.

Before the consecration, President Museveni and First lady Janet hosted Osborn at State House Entebbe on August 19, where they reflected on Uganda’s history, faith and the longstanding relationship between the Osborn family and the country.

Osborn travelled to Uganda specifically for Rwabwogo’s consecration. Her family has longstanding Christian ministry ties to Uganda, making her involvement in the ceremony significant beyond the episcopal service itself.

With her consecration, Patience Rwabwogo now takes on the Episcopal Office of Bishop within Covenant Nations Church after 20 years of ministry.

The ceremony brought together her family, senior political leaders and prominent Christian figures from Uganda and abroad.

For the Museveni family, the occasion was both a celebration of Patience’s religious leadership and a moment of thanksgiving for Janet’s recovery.

For Covenant Nations Church, it marked the beginning of a new chapter as the ministry celebrated two decades of existence and its founder assumed a new episcopal responsibility.