The police are investigating about 15 pastors suspected to be involved in fraudulent transactions, including scamming their clients.
On Monday, March 3, 2025, while addressing the weekly security press briefing at Naguru police headquarters, the police spokesperson Rushoke Kituma warned against the rising cases of fraudulent pastors and traditional healers scamming clients.
“These scammers pretend to be religious leaders during the day but switch to traditional healers at night, using their supposed spiritual powers to manipulate victims. Their places of worship often include traditional shrines, and when victims realize that they have fallen for a hoax, the pastors resort to making threats, including death threats,” Kituma said.
Rushoke says police have identified a total of 15 suspect pastors; they are being investigated.
He cautioned the public to report any suspicious activity and to remain vigilant when dealing with individuals claiming to possess spiritual powers.
In 2005, Joseph Kibwetere, one of the leaders of the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God in Kanungu district, convinced a group that splintered from the Catholic Church in Uganda and burnt to death 778 of its members.
Kibwetere was assumed to have died in the incident, but the Ugandan police issued a warrant for his arrest against the other leaders of the group shortly afterwards.
