Police in Busoga North have opened an investigation into the death of a 34-year-old woman at a shrine in Kamuli District after she reportedly spent more than seven weeks under the care of a traditional healer.
The deceased has been identified as Harriet Namwase, whose relatives say she had been battling multiple health complications for about a year. Namwase was reportedly treated at several public hospitals across the Busoga sub-region and Kampala, but her condition did not improve.
According to relatives, the family later turned to a traditional healer after attributing her condition to witchcraft and believing that she required spiritual intervention. Namwase was subsequently taken to the shrine of George Mukala, a traditional healer in Busikwe Village, Namwendwa Sub-county, where she was admitted for more than seven weeks.
Relatives say Mukala assured them that Namwase had a chance of recovering but that the process would take time. However, her condition reportedly deteriorated in the early hours of Monday, prompting Mukala to contact her relatives. By the time the relatives arrived later in the morning, Namwase was already dead.
Sayuni Namukubembe, a relative, said Mukala had instructed the family to leave Namwase under the care of his staff, claiming that her condition was critical and that continued interaction with other people could interfere with what he described as the “healing work of the gods.”
Namukubembe said the family complied because they were desperate to save Namwase’s life. She said Mukala had been giving the family weekly updates about Namwase’s alleged recovery but was reluctant to provide details, saying he feared interfering with the healing process.
Namukubembe said the family was therefore shocked when they were informed of Namwase’s death. Busoga North Police spokesperson Samson Lubega said Mukala had since gone into hiding and that police were searching for him.
Lubega said investigations were ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding Namwase’s death and identify the factors that may have contributed to it. He urged members of the public to seek medical attention from licensed health facilities and qualified health professionals, particularly when dealing with serious or chronic illnesses.Meanwhile, Pius Mugweri, the Namwendwa Sub-county LC III chairperson, expressed concern over what he described as a growing practice of traditional healers admitting patients at shrines despite lacking the expertise and facilities to manage serious illnesses.
Mugweri cited another incident in which a mentally impaired patient reportedly died at a shrine over the weekend after spending about a month there. He said the incidents raise concerns about patients being admitted and managed at shrines instead of seeking treatment from licensed medical facilities.
Mugweri called for action to address what he described as illicit medical admissions at shrines, warning that critically ill patients could be exposed to further danger if they are denied access to appropriate medical care-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
