The Born Again Pentecostal (Balokole) faith is asking to be included in the government cash allocation to the different religious sects for the annual Martyrs Day celebrations. The faith leaders say that, as one of the leading religious sects in the country, they qualify for the money announced last Tuesday by President Yoweri Museveni. During the Martyrs Day celebrations on June 3rd at Namugongo, Museveni said he had “directed the government to make this contribution part of the national budget annually (since many Ugandans participate in the celebrations).” The president said both the Catholic and Anglican sects had been allocated Shs 2 billion each, while the Muslim community got Shs 200 million to help with preparations for the celebrations. ‘We have martyrs, too’ Pastor Joseph Serwadda, the Head of the Born Again faith in the country, said this Sunday morning that they were pushing for a share of the money because they too have martyrs, in the names of pastors who have been killed while preaching the word of God. “If the basis of the allocation is on sects that have martyrs, we can also claim that and say that we have Martyrs,” said Serwadda. “Joseph Nyakairu, one of our pastors, was killed right here in the city for preaching the gospel. Is he not a martyr? If the world does not know about him, we know him.” ‘We have the numbers’ Serwadda also noted that the born-again faith deserves the cash allocation on account of its prominence as the third biggest religious sect in Uganda. According to the 2024 National Census results, the Born Again faith accounts for 14.7% of the national population, surpassing the Muslim community, which now stands at 13.6%. “We have bigger numbers than the Muslims, and the government has recognised that. That is why we are saying that we should get Shs 500 million,” Serwadda. Given that the born-again faith does not have streamlined leadership structures like other denominations, Serwadda suggested that the money should be parcelled through the Inter-Religious Council (IRCU), where it is a member. “We have two representatives in the council. As such, we expect our Shs 500 million. They could split it between the two; Shs 250 each,” he said.