NAMISINDWA, UGANDA: Shock and grief engulfed residents of Masoola B cell, Bumbo town council in Namisindwa district on Thursday when a pastor was hacked by a suspected mentally ill patient who had been taken to be prayed for.
The incident happened at the home of the deceased pastor on Thursday, June 08, 2023.
Police have identified the suspect as Samuel Mangwo, who reportedly hacked Pastor John Wamoto, a resident of Masoola ‘B’ cell, Laaso ward and the lead pastor at Yesu Amala Church in Bumbo Town Council, Namisindwa District.
According to Elgon region police spokesperson ASP Rogers Taitika, “It is alleged that the suspect was on Thursday taken to Pastor Wamoto he pray for him to get healed of his illnesses but he eventually turned against him and cut him several times on the head using a panga, and he was shortly pronounced dead due to deep wounds and a lot of bleeding.”
The patient also reportedly attacked and injured the wife of the deceased pastor identified as Nambuya Agatha, 81, before people could rescue her and she was rushed to Mbale regional referral hospital where she is undergoing treatment after surviving with wounds.
However, according to ASP Taitika, the angry and bitter locals turned against the patient and lynched him, an act which police have since condemned.
“After killing the pastor and causing injury to his wife, the bitter mob also lynched him. It’s an unfortunate situation but we strongly condemn these criminal acts,” Mr Taitika added.
Meanwhile, DailyExpress has understood that the late pastor had long been praying for people with similar mental illnesses like those shown by Mangwo and they have been getting well but it shocked the locals to see the patient turning against the pastor.
“He has been praying for such people of similar mental problems and they have been getting well. He could just command people to untie and make them free in case they bring them while they are tied up and he could just pray for them and get well. This time around, it has shocked us to see a patient attacking and killing the pastor,” one of the locals briefly narrated.
ASP Taitika advised people to always handle such people with vigilance and that, they can be prayed for in the presence of other people who can manage the situation in case the patient tries to misbehave.
By press time, the body of Pastor Wamoto John and that of Samuel Mangwo had been taken to the city mortuary pending a postmortem report.
Do you have a story or an opinion to share? Email us on: [email protected] Or join the Daily Express WhatsApp channel for all the latest news and trends or join the Telegram Channel for the latest updates.
