Environmental stewardship by the Church of Uganda in the Albertine region: a case of Bunyoro- Kitara diocese

Abstract

The topic of study was environmental stewardship by the church of Uganda in the Albertine region: a case of Bunyoro Kitara diocese. There is an increasing focus on environmental management in the Albertine region, especially in the call to have the church collaborate with the government in addressing environmental degradation. Church traditions have ethical responsibilities for managing the environment and all creation. The Bible asserts that the Church is scripturally duty-bound to fulfill its mandate to value and treat creation with respect. Air, water, and soils pollution in the Albertine region are because of industrialization and urbanization which release toxic gases to the environment, and this generally is dangerous to human health and the environment. NEMA (2024) indicates that increased deforestation, industrialization due to oil drilling, wetland destruction, poor soil conservation, dumping of industrial waste at the shores of lake albert, has led to the increased pollution of the Albertine areas and the destruction of natural habitant of wildlife hence poses a serious threat to the environment. The purpose of this study is to explore the Theological and Ethical practices for effective environmental stewardship in the Albertine region. The study was guided by the following specific objectives; to investigate the current factors responsible for Environmental Degradation in the Albertine Region, To examine the role played by Church of Uganda in Environmental Stewardship in the Albertine Region, to establish the relationship of Religious Teachings and Ethical Practices in Environmental Stewardship in the Albertine Region and to explore the theological practices that the church can use to enhance environmental stewardship in the Albertine Region. Methodologically, Hermeneutical and phenome logical approaches were used to collect qualitative and quantitative data using interviews, focus group discussions, observations and a mixed survey. The research participants were mainly church leaders, community leaders, civil servants and the Christians in Bunyoro Kitara Diocese. During the survey, 200 participants were randomly sampled, and 170 participants responded to the survey. The study applied random sampling strategy and purposive. Majority of the respondents asserted that urbanization, population growth, and economic expansion were the major factors for environmental degradation. The study revealed that the church organizes environmental sensitization programs, provides leadership to the people by taking responsibility for the environment and church teachings are centered on environmental conservation and management. This study provides knowledge to the researchers, government and other international development organizations on the critical role in safeguarding the environment from degradation and other negative environmental consequences. The principal contribution of this study is the development of a contextual Anglican theological framework for environmental stewardship that integrates ecclesial participation, ecological diakonia, biblical stewardship, and environmental ethics with empirical evidence from the Albertine Region. The Church of Uganda is encouraged to use the religious teachings to develop policies and programs that promote sustainable population growth and environmental management, invest in comprehensive theological training on environmental stewardship for its clergy and lay leaders, prioritize the integration of ecological diakonia in its spiritual teachings, Interdenominational collaboration in environmental stewardship should be strengthened to harness the collective power of the Christian community in the region. This study highlights the pressing need for a balanced and integrated approach to urbanization, population growth, economic expansion and environmental stewardship, particularly in the Albertine Region