News Release

Ugandan Speaker of Parliament Visits Salt Lake City

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints organizes a tour that includes Ugandan Speaker, Madam Kadaga's areas of interest.

Because the Church is worldwide, it values the opportunity to acquaint leaders from other countries to its basic beliefs, programs, and structure, and to help them gain a better understanding of its education, welfare, and family initiatives.

A full three day agenda was planned by the Hosting Committee of the Church and began with a tour of the Humanitarian Center.  Ugandan Speaker, Madam Kadaga, was familiar with water projects the Church has done in Uganda and was made aware of wheelchair and neonatal resuscitation projects that have been and are currently ongoing in her country.  She met with Sharon Eubank, Director of LDS Charities, and discussed a water project in the Speaker’s home district that was waiting approval.  During her visit to Welfare Square she was made aware of the Church’s efforts to foster self-reliance and learned that the Church’s Perpetual Education Fund is helping 309 Ugandan students with loans for education.

Madam Speaker had the opportunity to visit with Elder Bednar, one of the Twelve Apostles of the Church. They discussed many issues facing Uganda, including the importance of strengthening families. Following the visit he presented her with a sculpture of an African family.   Later that day she visited the Utah State Capital and met with the Senate President and members of the Senate leadership team and House of Representatives.

Prior to her visit to Utah, the Speaker had expressed a desire to visit universities as she is currently working with universities in her country.  A day was planned for her to travel to Provo, Utah for meetings at Brigham Young University.   There she participated in a roundtable discussion that focused on the importance of religious denominations reaching out to each other and the necessity of strengthening support for religious freedom.  Following the university visit the visiting group had the opportunity to go to the Missionary Training Center adjacent to the campus and meet young missionaries who were preparing to serve in Madagascar.  Later that evening they attended a rehearsal of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

For her final day in Utah, she met with Political Science professors at the Hinckley Institute of Politics on the University of Utah campus and interest was expressed in student and faculty exchanges between the University of Utah and Makerere University in Kampala.  Upon leaving the university she toured the Church’s Family History Library, attended a luncheon hosted by the World Trade Center Utah where opportunities for international commerce with Uganda were discussed, and then toured the Church’s historical Temple Square.

All three days were filled with luncheons and dinners hosted or attended by church, educational, or professional people who have lived and worked in Uganda or Southeast Africa.

 Madam speaker was very complimentary of the friendliness, interest and warmth of the people she met in UtahUpon her return to her country, she commented, “I have traveled to other cities in the United States, but found the people of Utah to be very homey.  They made time for us.”

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