There Is A God In Heaven, He Will Answer By Fire, Your Own Blood Will Kill You- Pastor Robert Kayanja Hits Back At Frank Gashumba

Pastor Robert Kayanja has hit back at businessman and social commentator Frank Gashumba over his criticism of Ugandan pastors, warning that his remarks against religious leaders and Christianity could have serious consequences. Kayanja made the statements during a Wednesday night service at Miracle Centre Cathedral in Rubaga, Kampala, escalating the ongoing dispute over claims of miraculous healing.

Kayanja accused Gashumba of repeatedly attacking prominent people and institutions, including political leaders, the Buganda Kingdom and the Catholic Church. He said the commentator had also made statements about him that he considered false, adding that he believed the criticism had gone too far. “We will not take this nonsense anymore,” Kayanja declared during the service.

Referring to the biblical story of Prophet Elijah, Kayanja said he believed God would respond to what he described as attacks on Christianity. “If there is a God in heaven, he will answer by fire; for the God that answered by fire in the days of Elijah is still the same God,” he said, invoking the biblical account in which Elijah called upon God to demonstrate His power.

The pastor went further by accusing Gashumba of ridiculing the blood of Jesus Christ and attacking God's people. “Because you have ridiculed the blood of Jesus and you attacked God’s people, your own blood will kill you,” Kayanja said. He also referred to the death of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi while making his remarks, in some of the strongest language yet used in the public disagreement.

The dispute began after Gashumba challenged pastors, prophets and apostles who claim to perform miraculous healing to demonstrate their abilities under verifiable conditions in hospitals. He initially offered Shs200 million to any preacher who could heal a seriously ill patient at facilities such as Mulago or Nsambya Hospital, later increasing the proposed reward to Shs500 million. Gashumba argued that religious leaders who claim to heal diseases such as cancer should be willing to demonstrate those claims.

Kayanja has rejected accusations that miracles associated with his ministry are fake, insisting that they come from God. “Our miracles aren’t fake. They are God-made,” he said in an earlier response. The disagreement widened after Gashumba criticised some pastors over tithes, church finances and what he described as the exploitation of poor believers, although he has maintained that his criticism is directed at alleged religious fraud rather than Christianity itself.

Gashumba's daughter, Sheilah Gashumba, also joined the debate, defending her father in a post on X. She argued that he was questioning alleged fake miracles, demands for money and a lack of financial transparency in some churches, rather than attacking the Christian faith. Kayanja's son, Robert Kayanja Jr, subsequently defended Miracle Centre Cathedral, citing its humanitarian activities, education programmes and financial accountability, and saying the church keeps records and is audited by the Uganda Revenue Authority.

The disagreement has since grown beyond the original Shs500 million challenge into a wider debate about miracle claims, church finances, religious accountability and the limits of criticism directed at faith leaders. While Gashumba insists he is challenging alleged exploitation in the name of religion, Kayanja maintains that the comments have crossed the line into disrespect for sacred beliefs, leaving the two sides sharply divided.