Female pastor arrested for asking followers to shun schools, hospitals

The Criminal Investigation Department’s (CID) anti-human trafficking unit in close coordination with the territorial police in Bulenga and Mukono district arrested a self-styled pastor known as Kisoma Jackline, 34, for recruiting, receiving and harbouring students into her religious cult.

Police facts indicate that the self-styled pastor, along with her husband, Kisoma Daniel, 42, and a one Guitor Edward, 48, recruited 3 students from St. Francis Nursing School in Mukono for over two months under the pretext of Bible studying.

While addressing journalists at Police headquarters in Naguru, Police Spokesperson, Fred Enanga, said that among those recruited were two female adults who were taken to a rented house inside a tall wall fence in Nakuwade where she used to conduct her operations.

“The house had three bedrooms where the other 21 people were being accommodated. We have established that her church is not registered and she appointed herself head of the religious cult where she was recruiting followers and persuading them to abandon education,” he said.

Enanga added that those who were having their children in schools would cause them to abandon school and also discouraged her followers to go to hospitals when they fall sick, saying that it was not a requirement under her Church.

The pastor further warned her followers that whoever goes against her desires would have disobeyed God.

“We managed to arrest her with these 3 students, and a total of 15 victims were recovered including their children; about 8 of them from their families. They are all undergoing counselling and rehabilitation,” he explained.

A BBC investigative report filed by Peter Macjob last year revealed how former aides in prominent local churches participated in conjuring miracles to win the flock, turning some into victims of rogue pastors.

The report concluded that secularism and humanism are on the rise in Uganda, a predominantly Christian country.