A mob in Kyegegwa district has set a blaze seven shrines belonging to Kahangi Karema, a self styled prophet following the failure by police to investigate his activities. The burnt shrines were located in Buzara hill in Kasule Sub County. Residents set the shrines a blaze after asking police to investigate the activities of Kahangi for several months in vain.
In January, residents complained to President Yoweri Museveni about the shrine. In his response Museveni ordered Wilson Kwanya, Western Region Police Commander to close down the shrines and investigate the activities of Kahangi. However since then the shrines have been operating. On Tuesday, angry residents stormed Buzara hill and set the shrines a blaze. They also assaulted two people who were working in the shrine.
Residents also found three expectant girls below 18-years of age in the main shrines where Kahangi has been staying. Two of the girls aged 15 years, while the third aged 17 years, were handed over to police by the residents. Samuel Abed, Kyegegwa District Police Commander says that the girls told police during interrogations that they had stayed with Kahinga for over five months in the shrine. Police mounted a search for the witch doctor and was arrested in Mubende town aboard a bus to Kampala. He was later charged with defilement.
Abed says that the girls, who are residents of Buzira parish, are under the care of the child and police family protection unit until they trace for their parents. In a telephone interview, Bernard Tusiime, the LC2 chairperson Buzara parish alleges that Kahinga has been extorting money from clients promising to heal them of diseases.
Tusiime says that the Kahinga has also been demanding for cattle and goats from clients and some times allegedly sexually assaults his female clients. Tusiime says the police in the district and at the regional police headquarters in fort portal have been aware of the activities of Karema but didn’t take any action.
Asked why the police have not been responding to the resident's complaints, Wilson Kwanya, Western Regional Police Commander says that were still carrying out investigations. Data obtained by URN from Western Region police headquarters in Fort Portal shows that thirty people reported cases of extortion and eight cases of defilement against Kahinga to the police, but none of the cases has ever been investigated.
