Infighting erupts at Watoto church after Gary Skinner exit

A war of World War 2 proportions has erupted at Watoto Ministries, a year after founders Gary and Marilyn Skinner stepped down from their 40-year role as team leaders and handed over to Pastor Julius Rwotlonyo and wife Vernita.

The current war is between a section of Watoto church alumni and the current leadership and it is threatening to tear apart a once successful ministry.

The Watoto alumni are those who were picked up by Watoto Church as vulnerable kids, raised and schooled in Watoto villages/homes and Hope schools and went on to finish their studies.

For the uninitiated, Watoto Church is a non-profit organisation and is registered as a company limited by guarantee and runs various income generating projects apart from church collections from the sheep during service.

Watoto builds villages with schools, churches, medical centers, and homes and populates them with new families built from orphans and widows.

Currently there are three villages: Bbira and Suubi near Kampala and Laminadera in Gulu.

Other projects include baby homes, vocational training, and farms to support the villages.

There is also Watoto Children’s Choir which tours internationally every year and attracts a lot of funding.

About 1000 Ugandans have passed through Watoto villages to become productive citizens.

Therefore, some of the alumni (Mutoto) normally (after studies) come back to work in Watoto Ministries’ various departments or branches.

Their concern now is that following the founders exit from the day today running of Watoto, the new leadership looks at them as insects that should be crushed there and then: they are not wanted near any Watoto project.

It is alleged that the new leadership now prefers recruiting relatives, friends and outsiders who have never passed through Watoto systems.

“Watoto alumni have been denied opportunities to serve in Watoto at various levels. The numbers employed at the moment are not satisfactory, yet these [alumni] know the in and out of Watoto,” the alumni say in a protest letter to Watoto founders pastor Gary and Marilyn Skinner about the current state of affairs there.

They allege that some of the current employees don’t know the ‘cause’ for Watoto existence since most of them entered through the back door and are new and therefore don’t know the mode of operation of the ministry.

“The future of Watoto has been continuously becoming bright and this can be evidenced from its growth and development dating back from the early 2000s. It is only the current generation of people who are corrupt in mind, over ambitious for money, quick riches, lack of morals and values who want to disorient the system,” the Watoto alumni further tell the founders in their protest letter.

They say there is now a nosedive relationship between top leaders and subordinates.

To these alumni, Watoto is now a theatre of business opportunities to individuals and ministry work is accorded less attention.

They are now vowing to go down fighting.

“We are not going to sit back and lament about what is happening in Watoto but as concerned Ugandan citizens and Watoto alumni, we are still children of Watoto, our home. So, the insidious problems it faces, we are partially concerned and obliged to give possible remedies to have them solved. We are not sadists nor self seekers but stewards and promoters of peace, humane approach and co-existence people.”

According to the alumni, despite founders (Gary and Marilyn Skinner) efforts and other people’s in particular support and donations from the European countries and African countries if so, “Watoto future after them may be in limbo due to the personalities employed from all walks of life who come with their agenda to fulfill using Watoto as a stepping ground for their selfish crude motives”.

“They have hence erred and are continuing to mess up. But as concerned citizens and having been raised from Watoto our home, we must strongly give zero tolerance to any person who discredits Watoto for his or her nebulous gains.”

The alumni are now inviting the founders to force the current leadership to review Watoto administration at both church, school and village levels.

They also want the current leadership to recognize the role of Watoto alumni and allow them to be employed, visit, teach, guide, and counsel children in the ministries’ homes and villages.

“Therefore when we see self seekers try to do things to shutter people’s dreams, we cannot sit back because we also achieved ours through the priceless education, medical care, and housing we enjoyed at free cost, which others must also get access to regardless.

“Wrong disciples are causing indelible marks on people’s hearts.It will be suicidal to help someone and leaves Watoto cursing and yelling in the general public about the [appaling] state of Watoto….”

According to sources, some of the alumni who have since been kicked out include Mesach Buleeya, Joseph Kasasa, Elizabeth Namuyomba, Agnes Kobusingye, Brian Busuulwa, Gladys Nansubuga, Jonah Ssekitoleko, Twaha Kasese, Patrick Wasswa and others.

PANDORA BOX

Whereas Watoto Church on its website says it remains committed to providing help to anyone grappling with the moral and sexual issues of life, the alumni insist that this is a kin to preaching water while drinking wine if the allegations of sexual immorality in Watoto villages are to go by as we shall reveal in our subsequent publication.

The alumni further paint a picture of a ministry that has been captured by a mafia group whose members place themselves above scrutiny, transparency and accountability.

That the same group is trying to create a patronage and a corrupt system that they exploit for their self-enrichment through constant manipulation of Watoto’s systems, processes, policies and activities.

Some of the issues raised include neglect of Watoto Mission and Vision, low morale, deteriorating work performance, unbecoming behavior in homes, deteriorating education standards in Watoto Hope schools (primary and secondary), cosmetic leadership of some individuals, unsatisfactory recruitment criteria in Watoto and donations misuse.

Others include unfair deductions of teachers and mother’s salaries, high teachers turnover, unconnected homes to electricity, unresolved food distribution in homes and villages, inflating prices and flouting procurement guidelines especially on land purchase, supply of substandard items at inflated prices to Watoto homes, takeover of Watoto property/estate by individual leaders, bossy leadership by some leaders, weaknesses in homes management, increased theft at Watoto Homes, drunkenness and unbecoming behaviors of some mothers and older boys among others as we shall be reporting in series.

“In order to keep decorum in Watoto and to avoid any further public mauling of Watoto ministry and its top leaders, serious attention needs to paid to the allegations, alerts, facts in whichever form they have unfolded to avoid future unprecedented challenges which the perpetrators of the vices may not be anywhere to be traced. Pro-activeness needs concerted efforts of dependable and defendable hearted people with or who are non compromisable if to deal with these big elephants in the room,” the alumni suggest to founders Gary and Marilyn Skinner .

Watch this space for full details about the rot at Watoto Church and people behind.

Watoto Church has been contacted for a comment.

Founded in 1984 by Gary & Marilyn Skinner, Watoto Church now has 17 locations in Kampala, Mbarara, Entebbe, Jinja, Gulu, Juba South Sudan and online where more than 35,000 people attend service.

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