The Shs500 million miracle test controversy has drawn Frank Gashumba’s daughter, Sheilah Gashumba, into a public exchange with Robert Kayanja Jr, the son of renowned Kampala pastor Robert Kayanja, exposing a sharp disagreement over miracles, church finances, accountability and the role of religious institutions in society.
At the centre of the dispute is a question that has increasingly dominated the conversation surrounding Gashumba’s challenge to pastors: where should the line be drawn between questioning religious practices and attacking the Christian faith?
For Sheilah, the distinction is clear. She argues that questioning alleged fake miracles and the financial practices of some churches should not be confused with questioning the existence of God.
For Kayanja Jr, however, her father’s criticism of miracles was misguided, while the subsequent debate has, in his view, exposed what he considers a reluctance to scrutinise other religions with the same intensity.
The two exchanged sharply worded statements, with Sheilah defending her father’s Christian faith and calling for financial transparency among churches, while Kayanja Jr defended his family’s ministry and highlighted its charitable work.
Kayanja Jr: ‘God heals! Miracles still happen!’
The exchange began with Kayanja Jr defending the Christian healing ministry against what he described as attacks directed at believers and the Body of Christ.
“God heals! Miracles still happen!” he declared.
He questioned why some people were willing to criticise Christians and their beliefs but, in his view, were reluctant to direct similar criticism at other religious communities.
“These attacks on the healing ministry and the Body of Christ are always strange because they come from people who think attacking believers and Christians is acceptable. They never talk about Islam or any other religion, for that matter,” Kayanja Jr said.
He argued that those who criticise religious leaders sometimes object when the leaders respond to their accusations.
“When someone responds, they shout, ‘You shouldn’t respond! You shouldn’t say anything!'” he added.
Kayanja Jr maintained that Christians should not remain silent when they believe the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, God’s power and the miracles attributed to Him are being ridiculed.
“No believer should allow the works of the Holy Spirit, the Trinity of our God, the power He possesses, or the miracles He has performed and continues to perform to be mocked in any way by anyone,” he said.
He concluded his initial statement by returning to the argument that other faiths were not subjected to the same scrutiny.
“After all, they would never say or do anything like this to any other religion.”
But Sheilah, whose father has become a central figure in the debate over alleged fake miracles, was quick to challenge the suggestion that criticism of healing ministries amounted to an attack on Christianity.
Sheilah: ‘No one questioned God & Jesus Existence or miracles!’
In her response, Sheilah drew a distinction between belief in God and allegations that some pastors use purported miracles to attract followers and money.
“No one questioned God and Jesus Existence or miracles! We are questioning the stunts posed as ‘miracles’ , pastors continuously asking for ridiculous tithe from people mostly the poor every week promising them miracles!” she wrote.
Pastors asking their congregation to donate money to fund their personal and lavish lifestyle, funds are frequently funneled into multi-million dollar auditoriums, state-of-the-art sound systems, etc!! Some pastors are using the word of God to manipulate people!”
Her argument centred on what she described as the financial burden placed on ordinary worshippers, particularly poor congregants who give money in the expectation of receiving divine intervention.
She questioned whether churches should be expected to account for the money they collect and demonstrate how their resources benefit the communities around them.
“Does God have a bank account where you send all that money and most importantly most of these so called churches and their pastors have never built a school, a hospital where people can benefit from!!!” Sheilah asked.
She also rejected suggestions that her father’s criticism of some pastors meant he had abandoned his Christian faith.
To make that point, she offered a personal account of her family’s participation in Catholic worship, describing her father’s regular attendance at church and his involvement in community activities.
“Mr Frank Gashumba has gone to church every Sunday since I could possibly remember til today! He prays at the Ggaba Catholic Church every Sunday for one hour and on top of that helps the community! In Masaka, he goes to Villa Maria Catholic Church and contributes to the society around the church!” she said.
Sheilah also spoke about her own religious upbringing, recounting the Catholic sacraments she received and the family’s attendance at Sunday Mass.
“I personally was baptized, did Holy Communion and Holy Confirmation at Christ the King Church, and for many years we never missed any Sunday Mass at 11am!” she added.
Her message was that the dispute should not be reduced to a question of whether Gashumba believes in God.
“Stop confusing people that he said he doesn’t believe in God! He simply said that he doesn’t believe in some churches and pastors who pretend to be GOD and who steal from the poor and fake miracles! Let’s listen to understand!”
Sheilah questions prophecy directed at her father
Sheilah also turned her attention to the reported curses directed at her father and his family, questioning whether such pronouncements were consistent with Christian teachings.
“There was no need for you to stand in your church and sending curses to him and his family!! Is that the word of God!?!” she asked.
She challenged the explanation that the statements were a prophecy, questioning their timing in relation to her father’s public comments about alleged fake pastors.
“You claimed it was a prophecy? You got the prophecy over night after his interview about fake pastors or that you were sending a threat!” Sheilah wrote.
Her response extended beyond the personal dispute to the wider question of financial accountability in religious institutions.
She argued that questioning the practices of churches should not automatically be interpreted as a rejection of Christianity or an expression of hostility towards God.
That argument, however, did not go unanswered.
Kayanja Jr: ‘These are not stunts’
In his response, Kayanja Jr rejected the suggestion that the miracles associated with his family’s ministry were stunts and challenged Sheilah’s claims about churches failing to contribute to society.
“These are not stunts. And this post proves a serious point,” he wrote.
He defended his family’s charitable activities, citing work in Karamoja and other interventions that he said had helped vulnerable people.
“We went to Karamoja to feed people and save lives, while the audited places you talk about did nothing. We have put people through school, taken children off the streets, and helped raise many who are now doctors, lawyers, and teachers,” Kayanja Jr said.
He acknowledged that Sheilah was defending her father but maintained that the criticism directed at his family’s ministry was misplaced.
“I understand the need to defend your dad. But regarding what you just mentioned, we already do those things. Ask any member of our church,” he said.
Kayanja Jr also cited the purchase of tractors for Karamoja as an example of what he described as public accountability.
“When we bought tractors for Karamoja, we brought them publicly for everyone to see so that we could be held accountable,” he said.
He then sought to distinguish his family’s ministry from other churches that he accused of collecting money for projects that were never completed.
“Other churches, which, sorry to say, your dad defended, have raised money for church buildings that no one has built and for which no one can see any progress,” he wrote.
Kayanja Jr further listed the feeding programmes he said were conducted by his church, describing them as extending beyond regular congregants.
“We feed new converts at our church. We feed thousands who attend meetings. We feed people, send food to those who have nothing, and even give to those who already have something,” he said.
He also disputed Sheilah’s characterisation of her father’s original remarks, arguing that Gashumba had not initially raised the accountability concerns she was now advancing.
“Your dad never mentioned any of what you are now bringing up. He never talked about transparency, audits, or accountability. He simply attacked miracles with a clear lack of foundation,” Kayanja Jr said.
The argument over Islam and other religions returns
Despite the disagreement over church finances, Kayanja Jr returned to what he described as the unequal treatment of different religious communities.
“My point still stands: no one here calls out Islam for its many dangerous issues. In September 2023, ADF and Al-Shabaab delivered a bomb to our church. No one called it out. No one said a word,” he wrote.
His reference to the alleged delivery of a bomb to the church in September 2023 formed part of his argument that Christians and their institutions faced threats that, in his view, did not receive the same attention.
He also rejected the suggestion that pastors themselves perform miracles, insisting that his father had consistently attributed healing to Jesus.
He further argued that Gashumba broadened his original position only after facing criticism.
“It was the following day that your dad expanded the scope of his statement after receiving backlash, and rightfully so,” he added.
Kayanja Jr defended the wider contribution of Pentecostal Christians and churches in Uganda, arguing that their work should be considered alongside the criticism directed at some religious leaders.
“The Church and born-again Christians in Uganda are a net positive and a massive help to society,” he said.
He cited the COVID-19 pandemic as another example of the assistance he said his family’s ministry provided to people struggling to meet their basic needs.
“During COVID, frankly speaking, people had no money for anything. People were struggling to eat and couldn’t move around. We went above and beyond by sending food out to those in need. We did the same in South Sudan and Kenya,” he wrote.
For Kayanja Jr, the distinction between churches that fulfil their promises and those that allegedly fail to deliver on projects was central to his defence.
“Again, we are accountable because when we say we will do something, we do it,” he said.
“However, if you’re talking about raising money for a building and never building it, that’s not us!”
He also pointed to the church’s Bible college, which he said trains pastors and ministers, and youth conferences where attendees are fed without being required to remain in church.
“We have a Bible college where we train and teach pastors and ministers. We hold youth conferences where we feed everyone for free. You can literally show up, eat, and leave, because our giving isn’t tied to whether you sit in church or not,” Kayanja Jr said.
He nevertheless maintained that Sheilah’s defence of her father did not justify what he considered an attack on the ministry.
“Again, I understand defending your dad, but this attack was wrong,” he wrote.
He concluded by returning to his argument that criticism of Christianity was treated differently from criticism of other faiths.
“And watch this: backlash can be hard, but no one would make these kinds of statements about any other faith or religion.”
The Shs500m miracle test behind the exchange
The public disagreement comes against the backdrop of Frank Gashumba’s Shs500 million miracle test, which brought the conduct of pastors, claims of supernatural healing and the handling of church money into the spotlight.
The controversy has raised competing questions about the relationship between faith and accountability: whether challenging claims of miraculous healing is an attack on Christianity, whether churches should be expected to demonstrate how donations are used, and whether religious leaders can be held accountable without undermining the beliefs of their followers.
Sheilah’s position is that Gashumba’s criticism should not be interpreted as a rejection of God, pointing to her family’s Catholic background and her father’s longstanding participation in church activities.
Kayanja Jr, meanwhile, maintains that the criticism of miracles is misplaced and argues that churches such as his father’s ministry have made significant contributions through feeding programmes, education, support for vulnerable people and other charitable activities.
Their exchange has also exposed a disagreement over what accountability should look like in religious institutions, with Sheilah calling for greater financial transparency and Kayanja Jr insisting that his family’s ministry keeps its books in order and can point to projects it has undertaken.
Ultimately, the two are arguing over more than the existence of miracles. They disagree over how religious claims should be scrutinised, how churches should account for money received from believers and whether criticism of particular ministries is being unfairly presented as hostility towards Christianity itself.
For Sheilah, questioning alleged fake miracles and the financial practices of some pastors is compatible with faith. For Kayanja Jr, the criticism risks dismissing genuine religious experiences and overlooking the social work carried out by churches.
The Shs500 million miracle test has therefore become a wider public argument about faith, money, healing, charity and the responsibility of religious leaders to the people who trust them.
Meanwhile, Frank Gashumba has threatened to release an “atomic bomb” exposing Pastor Robert Kayanja’s ‘dirty Secrets’ if he makes any further statements against him, as reported Here.
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