By In this exclusive and deeply personal interview with Stonix News publisher EBENEZER ADUROKIYA, Pastor Mrs Olubunmi Olushola Monye-Akinshipe, the National Coordinator of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in Uganda, opens her heart on a journey marked by triumph, tragedy, and tenacity. Speaking from the headquarters at RCCG Victory Centre in Kampala, she details the exponential growth of the “Skill-up Uganda” initiative—inspired by Mummy Adeboye—which has grown from 100 to over 1,000 graduates, expanding from computer studies into leatherwork and hairdressing. Yet, this is more than a story of institutional growth. Pastor Mrs Monye-Akinshipe bares her soul about arriving in Uganda during the HIV/AIDS crisis, raising over a dozen orphans alongside her three biological children, and enduring the devastating loss of her first husband, Pastor Israel, whose corpse she had to accompany back to Nigeria. The author of Bouncing Back By Grace (A Memoir on Marriage, Widowhood and Remarriage) speaks candidly about seven years of battling depression, the cultural clash between Nigerian haste and the Ugandan philosophy of mpola-mpola (slowly, slowly), and the challenges of pastoring in a nation where churches are sometimes viewed as businesses and foreigners are mistaken for the United Nations. Through it all, she reflects on finding love again, being gifted a home by her Ugandan spiritual children, and her unwavering belief that if Nigeria and Uganda can learn from each other, they form a perfect match.
Pastor Mrs Monye-Akinshipe
Excerpts:
Pastor Mrs Monye-Akinshipe, thank you for speaking with Stonix News. Can you start by telling us about the current state of RCCG in Uganda and your vision as the National Coordinator?
Thank you for having me. The RCCG in Uganda is a vibrant and growing family. Currently, we have about 42 parishes. My vision is to see a church where lives are transformed, families are restored, and believers are empowered to take their place as leaders in every sector of Ugandan society. We are building a structure that is solidly rooted in the word of God, ready to influence the spiritual and moral fabric of this country. However, we have faced some setbacks; due to some uncontrolled circumstances, a number of our parishes have been closed down. We are trusting God to revive them, especially in areas like Lyra.
Your work with the Skill Centre has shown remarkable growth. Can you tell us how that initiative started and how it has evolved?
It is a testimony of God’s faithfulness. Honestly, I was on the verge of giving up when a sister came in, and before I knew it, a couple and others—the Oluwanis, Sister Jade, Sister Bukky—rallied round and began to support and mobilise. We then connected with some people from Kampala International University. The person of Dr Gabriel Enamudu, a lecturer there, helped us reach other university lecturers. After that first year, seven of them joined us. When they came in, the way the children were being taught entered into another dimension. We were also doing aggressive publicity, and since it was sponsored by the African Mission, Canada, we told them about the vision of Mummy Adeboye, who has put in a lot of effort to target over 100,000 youths, widows, single mothers, and school dropouts.
People began to come. From 100 to 120, as of December 2025, we had graduated over 1,000 students. This current batch, the fourth, had over 400 registered at the beginning. At first, it was mainly computer studies, cyber security, digital marketing, and website design. But as time went on, we introduced shoemaking and bag making because there is a lot of leather in Uganda, making materials easily accessible. We have also introduced hairdressing. The skill centre has really taken shape.
Who is driving this project on the ground in Kampala?
We thank God for the centre manager, Sister Dorothy Nakato. She came here as a very young girl; she went to secondary school, attended university, and has now finished her master’s degree. She is our administrator for the RCCG and is now the manager of the skill centre. We thank God because it is going to go beyond Kampala. We initially called it “Skill-up Kampala,” but it is now “Skill-up Uganda.” As time goes on, we are trusting God to launch out and have our campuses in different parts of Uganda—the Western, Eastern, and Northern regions.
Pastor Mrs Monye-Akinshipe receiving a gift from the Zonal Pastor, Pastor Emmanuel Orimogunje on behalf of RCCG Victory Centre Kisugu Road Namuwongo Kampala Uganda in February
Leading a Nigerian-based church in a foreign nation comes with unique challenges. What have been some of the most significant hurdles you have faced regarding church planting and retention?
One painful challenge has been with some of the indigenous pastors. I remember very well the one from the Northern part of Uganda. The home church that came to sponsor them invested a lot, but by the time I was coming into this role, the man in charge had carted away the things they bought and relocated the church.
Another hurdle is cultural expectation. Some people research us online and see that the church is a big organisation. They look at us like an NGO or the United Nations. Whenever they come, they believe we have lots of money and should be able to give them dollars, help train their children, and pay them for what they do in church. Everybody wants to be paid. They expect to be paid as ushers, instrumentalists, and choir members. They believe you should facilitate and encourage them. But it is not possible to pay everybody in the church. Many of the pastors, especially those of us from Nigeria, are not even on the RCCG payroll.
You mentioned land ownership. How does the legal framework in Uganda affect the church’s ability to establish permanent buildings?
That is a significant challenge. It is one thing to open a church and buy land, but it is another to process the papers. Everything is 50/50. As a foreign organisation, you cannot just buy land and own it, especially if you are not a citizen in Uganda. If you register as an NGO, it is easier to access leasehold tenure land for 99 or 49 years. But if it is land you want to buy and own for life, it is not easy—you must be a citizen. As a mission-oriented church like RCCG, you cannot be paying rent until eternity. The earlier you can acquire your own property and stop paying rent, the better for you as a church.
You mentioned the challenge of people viewing the church as an NGO. Can you elaborate on that mindset and how it affects your ministry?
At the beginning, the enthusiasm of the Ugandans receiving the church was not so much. When you come in as a church and you are a foreigner, they expect and see you as an NGO who has come to develop the community where you are operating. They believe you have come to educate and do charity—send children to school, empower people, put money in their hands, buy equipment for them. As much as we do CSR, the RCCG engages in a lot of community-based activities, but we cannot compare the activities of Redeemed to the United Nations or USAID. We can do medical outreaches, but to build hospitals and equip them is very capital intensive. It does not come as easily as they expect. So when some of them come and do not see much of what they expected, they move on. Some of them are just there with the hope that with time, you will leave and they will convert the church to their own.
Is there also a challenge with the “Pastor/Founder” mentality here in Uganda?
Absolutely. Here, most of them believe so much in owning a personal church. The pastor/founder mentality is very strong and common. They cannot understand how running a church like Redeemed works here. Being materialistic-minded is the reason for this. To them, establishing a church is like establishing a company; church is more of a business. When you invest in a church, you work, and it is expected that after some time, you also begin to enjoy the proceeds of the church. So when that does not happen, especially in a very structured church where as a pastor you have to answer to authority, they do not feel comfortable. Theirs is a Community Based Organisation (CBO). If it is an indigenous church, the government does not pry into their activities. However, these days, the government is making it compulsory for pastors to have attended Bible college and theological school and hold certificates before you can pastor a church, to avoid leading people into error.
Pastor Akinshipe with the interviewer in the middle
You mentioned a tragic historical event that shaped the church landscape here. Could you tell us about that?
There was an experience that happened here some years back, about 26 years ago. There was a man called Joseph Kibweteere (also spelled Kibwetere), leader of the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God. He gathered over a thousand people and began to tell them that Jesus Christ was coming at a particular time and that would be the end of the world. He gathered them at a particular place and asked them to bring all their belongings because the world was going to end. After that, he set the place on fire. Over a thousand children were lost in that fire. He set people ablaze and ran away. It was a very sad experience, but it also gave birth to the unification of the Pentecostal churches in Uganda. They began to form national fellowships of born-again churches. Now, there is a very well-organised structure of Pentecostal churches. They have leaders at national, community, and district levels, and they are accountable to the government.
You have been in Uganda for a long time and have faced personal tragedies here. What has kept you going?
There have been challenges since I came to Uganda, but I have also seen the beauty of God in those challenges, so I do not regret coming here at all. When I first came, my concern was the overwhelming nature of the work ahead. As a young newlywed, I suddenly became a mother to so many people when Uganda was just coming out of the HIV/AIDS scourge. There were a lot of orphans, and before I knew it, our home became full. I have three biological children, and there were times I could have up to about 15 children living in my home. The resources coming into our hands were nothing compared to the needs we had to meet, and I kept wondering how I was going to cope. But today, I am so happy that those children passed through me. Our home became their home. It was a privilege grooming children that are not your biological children. It helped my own children to really grow in this place. When we were coming, we were three, but that sense of family was built through that. There was no difference between my biological children and my spiritual children. They grew up with us, we love them, and they love us. Most of them are married and they keep coming back.
How did the Ugandan church family support you during your most difficult moments?
I remember when they organised my 50th birthday. Even my recent 60th birthday, they formed a platform and organised another one. As they were doing it, they were streaming it live and sending it to others. During my 50th birthday, they bought a piece of land and gave it to me as my birthday gift. That is the house I am living in today. I came here with my late husband, Pastor Israel Monye; but unfortunately, I had to go back home with his corpse. It was one of the most devastating experiences of my life. But it is still in this same Uganda that I have found new families. I see them as my families because they were there with me in those trying times. I have become a citizen officially; I got my dual citizenship over time. God has given me friends, sons, and daughters.
Are you using the Skill-Up scheme in realising the dream of winning souls?
Uganda is a very unique mission field. It requires a different approach to the way we do things in West Africa. It may look delayed, but we are getting there. Some of the people are coming to join the women’s group; it is gradual. They take their time, but if you can be patient, you will win them. In Nigeria, everything is done in haste; life is lived in rushed moments, and that is the problem most Nigerians face when they come to East Africa. One of the problems you are likely to face here is living life slowly. There is no rush. You have to be gradual. People call it mpola-mpola—slowly, slowly but sure.
From right, Pastor Emmanuel Orimogunje, Pastor Mrs Olubunmi Olushola Monye-Akinshipe and the interviewer after the interview in Kampala
You have experienced significant personal loss. How did your faith carry you through those seasons?
I was a widow for 17 years before I met Pastor Dr Akinshipe. When I was single, I got born again in 1985. It took me 10 years before I got married. In those 10 years on campus, I was more of an introvert, always in the midst of the born-again community. By the time I moved out of campus, I had become an ardent believer in evangelism. When I finished college, I spent all my time serving and in evangelism until I got a job. When I married Pastor Israel, the first seven years after his passing were very difficult. It was as if the spirit of depression visited and refused to leave my home. I would cry, and if tears could have brought back the dead, I think Pastor Israel would have woken up. But as time went on, I was privileged to meet our father in the Lord and Mummy at one time or another, and they would pray. They kept encouraging me. Taking care of the children with school fees and other necessities became a challenge. My family was supportive. My sister organised therapy for me. I began to fall sick, something I had hardly experienced before. But after seven years, I began to get better. One of the good things that happened in those seven years was that my prayer life changed. I got closer to God through prayer. My prayer life and evangelism became more serious than ever. There is one unique thing about reaching out to other people: as you reach out to meet their needs, the Holy Spirit somehow comforts you. I became neck-deep in mission activities. The grace and mercy of God carried us through the COVID-19 era as well.
What unique struggles did you face as a widow in ministry?
One thing I observed while I was a widow and a single parent was that there is a tendency for society to blame the loss of a spouse on the surviving spouse, and it mostly happens with widows. Also, when one is a single mother, people become very careful with you, even those who want to help, because if they get too close, people can begin to insinuate that they are sleeping with you.
You have experienced both Nigerian and Ugandan cultures. How do you see the two working together?
If Nigeria and Uganda have understanding and work together, they can be a very perfect match. Nigerians are very aggressive. They are result-oriented human beings who want to get things accomplished within a specified time. Ugandans, on the other hand, believe you can get it done, but you must organise yourself. They do not like dabbling into things. They take their time. They prepare, they plan, and by the time that project comes up, they will do it very well. Nigerians, because of their speed, tend to overlook details, whereas Ugandans pay attention to details. If they want to do a wedding here, the average wedding spends about six months in preparation. Wedding meetings can take three to four months. They feel whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well. When I came here, people did not believe so much in white weddings. Cohabitation was very rampant, but we kept on teaching, and now people are getting married in church. If Nigeria can collaborate with Uganda, Uganda will cool down the heat in Nigeria. Ugandans will calm you down. That rush-rush attitude—Ugandans will help you pay attention to details.
Does the slower pace ever feel like a disadvantage?
The slow way of doing things can make Ugandans appear sluggish, but Ugandans are very smart and intelligent people. They may be quiet, they may take their time, but they know what they are doing.
You mentioned land issues earlier. Is there a specific property that has been a challenge for the church?
If I had my way, there is a request I would like to make to the Ugandan government. There is a 50-acre piece of land that the Redeemed Christian Church of God bought over 15 years ago. There is serious encroachment on that land, and we have not been able to secure ownership. Not long after we bought the land, the owner who sold it passed on, and we could not pursue the ownership at that time. Now that he is gone, there is a lot of encroachment. The owner who sold the land to him is also late. When I became the coordinator, I met with the son, and he said we should take it to court. But Redeemed does not engage in court cases. Something similar happened to me personally, and it took me about 13 years going in and out of court. When that land was sold, thank God we used a law firm to finalise the agreement, and that was what delivered us.
What final message would you like to send to the RCCG family back in Nigeria?
I want to encourage my brothers and sisters that there is power in unity. This mission field that we are in, running and planting churches, is a warzone. You are fighting unseen forces, powers, and principalities, and it takes a toll on you as an individual. You do not have time for other distractions. Any other thing aside from this is a distraction, and that is what the devil has used to slow our pace as a church. The aggression that we used to go out for Jesus has calmed down. It is not as it used to be. There are a lot of distractions and challenges on the field, especially when you have limited resources. You may have ideas and projects, but you may not have the finances to execute them. But if we can be united and speak with one voice, and combine effort, every other thing will become secondary. I sincerely appreciate the people in Nigeria. Right from our father in the Lord, the Redeemed Christian Church of God family, especially some of our provincial pastors, have at one time or the other come here to assist and support. I want to appeal to you: do not leave us alone. RCCG in Uganda—our lives are an investment. We know things are not easy, but we will take you along.
