Religious leaders under their umbrella association, Mbale Church Elders Fellowship (MCEF), have asked Bishop Ivan Mulepi Herome of New Eden Ministries International to halt his second wedding to allow investigations into the matter.

Bishop Mulepi, who is still legally married to his first wife Cate Manake Mulepi, is scheduled to marry Ms Scovia Anna Kizza, a member of his church, on December 19 at New Eden Ministries in Mbale City, a move the church elders are against.

“It has been brought to our notice that Bishop Dr Ivan Mulepi, who is our secretary general, is carrying out another marriage arrangement which we were not aware of as MCEF. We dissociate ourselves from the said arrangement,” a December 9 letter signed by Bishop Andrew Mutengu, the chairperson of the fellowship, reads in part.

It adds: “We have advised him to halt any new marriage arrangements to give room for further investigation and mediation. We have also advised him to step aside from the office of MCEF, from active service in the ministry of New Eden Church and from other related ministries to enable him sort out himself.”

When contacted Bishop Mutengu said they are yet to receive a response from Bishop Mulepi. He said the decision by Bishop Mulepi to wed a second wife before dissolving the first marriage is embarrassing and shameful to the Church and Christianity at large.

“It is not good for the Church. It is embarrassing and shameful but we cannot stop him because we have limited powers. We are just a fellowship,” he said.

The National Fellowship of Born Again Pentecostal Church (NFBPC) in eastern Uganda, has also written to the leaders of New Eden Ministries, warning them against carrying out the wedding.

“It does not sound well for him to remarry before the matter is exhaustively handled by the fellowship.  Several steps are being taken to have his matter handled before a recommendation is given to either of them,” the letter reads in part.

The letter was signed off by Mr Andrew Abira, the chairman of the Regional Council of Elders, eastern and Bishop Kamiza Julius, the regional overseer of fellowship-eastern.

Earlier, Ms Manake through her lawyers of Thomas & Michael Advocates, wrote to the leaders of New Eden Ministries, asking them to stop the wedding, saying she is still the lawfully wedded wife of Bishop Mulepi.

The lawyers warned that should Bishop Mulepi go ahead with the marriage ceremony, he would have broken several laws of the country including the criminal offence of bigamy, which if convicted, he will be liable to imprisonment of up to five years.

“Our client has since learnt that there are ongoing preparations by New Eden Church, Mooni to conduct a holy matrimony ceremony between Bishop Ivan Mulepi, one of the pastors of this church and Ms Scovia Kiza,” Ms Manake’s lawyers wrote on December 6.

They added: “Should you go ahead with the said marriage celebrations, we have instructions from our client to evoke the full wrath of the law to stop the planned impugned wedding at your own costs, peril and embarrassment to the extent of revocation of your licence.”

When contacted, Bishop Mulepi said the allegations were malicious.

However, one of the Christians at New Eden Ministries, who visited Daily Monitor offices on behalf of Bishop Mulepi but refused to identify himself, said preparations for the wedding are ongoing and nothing will stop the wedding.

Daily Monitor is also in possession of printed wedding pledge card, announcing the wedding ceremony and also requesting contribution from well-wishers.
Ms Kizza, Bishop Mulepi’s fiancee when contacted refused to comment.

Some of the pastors in Mbale said if Bishop Mulepi is left to go ahead with the wedding, many Christian will start getting second wives, which is not allowed in the Bible.