Simon Lokodo

The Minister for Ethics and Integrity, Rev. Fr. Simon Lokodo, is no longer a priest in the Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI, has said.

This was revealed by Paul Tschang In-Nam, the Pope Nuncio for Uganda Archbishop.

He explained that according to the rules of the Catholic Church, Lokodo could not be allowed to continue serving in both capacities as a priest and a politician. He cited the example of Sr. Margaret Magoba, formerly of the Electoral Commission, who gave up her job when the Church advised her to do so.

Lokodo, 49, had been a parish priest for Kaabong, Kotido diocese, before he contested for and won the Dodoth County MP seat after the then MP died in June 2006.

Lokodo was appointed ethics minister on May 27, 2011, replacing Nsaba Buturo. Prior to that, he served as state minister for industry from February 2009 to May 2011.

Born in Kaabong District on October 28, 1957, he holds a bachelor of arts degree in theology from the University of Rome and a master’s in theology from the University of Rome.

By Juliet Lukwago, The New Vision

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