By KT Reporter
The pilgrims who thronged Namugongo Catholic and Anglican shrines over the last ten days have returned to their homes. However, the pilgrimage period was not without its darker moments, as several crimes occurred that will likely be remembered for some time.
While officers at Kira Division Police, including Officer-in-Charge Isah Ssemwogerere, continue screening more than 90 suspects in custody, three major crimes have stood out, including a bizarre case involving a woman and live ammunition.
One of the strangest incidents involves a woman identified only as Nalumansi for security reasons, who was allegedly deceived by a witch doctor into placing a bullet cartridge into Namugongo’s holy water, with the promise that doing so would make all her life’s problems disappear. Crime intelligence teams have confirmed that Nalumansi will act as a witness if she successfully leads them to the witchdoctor’s shrine, where they hope to question him on the source of the bullets given to clients. “I have been getting problems in my life. All the business I start collapses in months. I have not lived a happy life. I move from one problem to another. When I shared my life challenges with friends, they gave me the contact of a witchdoctor,” Nalumansi narrated to detectives as she pleaded to be forgiven.
She explained that after paying the witchdoctor, he gave her a bullet cartridge to drop in Namugongo’s holy water. “The witchdoctor told me it was a bullet cartridge. I came here to place the cartridge in the holy water. He told me I should then take two small jerry cans of this water and spray inside my house and all the problems, including ghosts, will never disturb me again,” the teary Nalumansi said.
However, Special Forces Command (SFC) and Counter-Terrorism (CT) units later established that the object was actually live ammunition. “She was given a live ammunition but she insists it was a cartridge. We have realized she doesn’t know how to distinguish a cartridge from a live bullet. The good thing is she knows the witchdoctor’s name, contact, and location. We are taking her there tomorrow,” said a Superintendent of Police.
Security agencies are also investigating whether this witchdoctor is linked to another case from a year ago, involving a different female pilgrim. “We suspect there could be a connection with the incident we had a year ago. A female pilgrim came to pray for a new husband after the father of her one child died four years back. However, she was hoodwinked by a man who took her to a lodge in Mukono, slept with her, took her only 20,000 shillings and left her with a bag containing a live bullet,” said a detective.
The woman walked back to Namugongo, hoping to meet the man again, but was arrested with the bullet in the bag. “Unfortunately, the woman in last year’s incident could not trace the owner of the bag. She was eventually prosecuted for being in possession of government stores and is currently on remand. She could not help us trace the man who had sexually abused her and left her with the bag,” the detective added.
In a separate case, a Field Force Unit (FFU) officer was found with a bullet in his pocket at the Anglican shrine. “We asked him why he had a bullet. He said he is an FFU policeman from Kayunga. He successfully identified himself. But he could not explain why he brought the bullet to Namugongo as a pilgrim. He was arrested and handed over to Kira Division police,” a security officer said.
Another shocking incident involved a 23-year-old man who was arrested while attempting to rape a woman who was bathing under a tree at the Catholic shrine on Sunday night. Her screams attracted other women who intervened before the man could attack. The suspect gave a shocking confession. “Officers please forgive me. I was only tempted by the woman’s blown thighs and big butt. I wanted to take advantage because it was in the dark,” he said.
Detectives, however, are in a dilemma as the woman declined to record a statement, citing that she had not been penetrated and was no longer interested in pursuing the case. She later disappeared. Assistant Superintendent of Police Luke Owoyesigyire confirmed that the rape suspect is still in custody at Kira Division Police Headquarters. “The screening of the more than 90 suspects is ongoing, and only those with serious crimes will be taken to courts of law,” Owoyesigyire said-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
