Faith and spirituality are meant to offer solace and guidance to the lost and weary, providing a place of hope and divine intervention.
However, behind the glowing lights and grand sermons of certain churches, a troubling trend has emerged—pastors secretly engaging in witchcraft to maintain influence over their congregations.
Police investigations have revealed that some self-proclaimed men and women of God operate as anointed pastors by day but turn to witchdoctors by night.
These fraudulent religious leaders have been accused of exploiting their congregations by making false promises of miracles and healing.
According to Police spokesperson Rusoke Kituuma, these pastors extort large sums of money and property, including land titles, under the guise of providing divine intervention.
“There are numerous victims who have fallen prey to these individuals,” Kituuma said while addressing the media at the Police headquarters in Naguru, Kampala.
Investigations indicate that these churches transform into shrines after dark, where traditional rituals are secretly performed.
Congregants, unaware of their leaders’ double lives, unknowingly fund occult practices with their hard-earned money.
“Their places of worship often double as shrines,” Kituuma revealed.
He added that victims who eventually uncover the deception are often met with threats, including death threats, to silence them.
So far, 15 pastors from Kampala, Wakiso, Mukono, and other districts are under investigation.
The Link Between Pastors and Witchdoctors
This is not the first time religious leaders have been linked to occult practices.
In 2019, former Police Chief Okoth Ochola ordered a probe into top city pastors accused of engaging in ritual murders, extortion, and defilement.
Intelligence reports at the time implicated several pastors in using human sacrifices and dark rituals to acquire supernatural powers that enabled them to perform ‘miracles.’
Some pastors were even found to possess mass graves, raising concerns about ritual killings in the name of faith. However, the findings of the investigation were never made public.
One infamous case was that of Pastor Augustine Yiga, also known as Abizaayo.
Before his death, Yiga was under investigation for various crimes, including rape, defilement, and fraud.
Several women accused him of sexual assault, and others claimed he fathered children with them before abandoning them.
Despite these allegations, his followers defended him, suspecting that rival pastors had fabricated the accusations.
Exploiting the Faithful
From charismatic televangelists to local church leaders, some spiritual figures have mastered the art of manipulation, using psychological tricks to control their followers.
Fake prophecies, staged miracles, and spiritual coercion are among the tactics used to exploit believers financially and emotionally.
Victims have testified about being forced to give up large sums of money, vehicles, and property, believing it would bring them closer to their desired miracles.
One woman, Claire Wanula, lost 40 million Ugandan shillings to a city pastor after being promised that her estranged husband in Canada would return.
Another victim, Frances Adroa, was convinced to give up her car in exchange for divine intervention in securing a husband and honeymoon in Denmark, only to later discover the pastor had sold her vehicle.
The Government and Religious Leaders Respond
Authorities are increasingly cracking down on exploitative religious figures.
The Uganda Human Rights Commission has launched an investigation into reports of manipulation, extortion, and abuse within churches.
Chairperson Mariam Wangadya condemned pastors who discourage medical treatment in favor of faith healing, warning that such practices endanger lives.
President Yoweri Museveni has also weighed in, ordering investigations into churches that claim to perform miraculous healings.
He announced that individuals who claim to have been healed through prayer will undergo medical verification to confirm their testimonies.
Meanwhile, Archbishop Moses Odongo, leader of the National Fellowship of Born-Again Pentecostal Churches in Uganda, has urged pastors to stop faking miracles for personal gain.
“Many of our colleagues fake miracles for personal gain. We must desist from this because we are not just deceiving the people, we are also shaming God,” he said.
As authorities continue to investigate, Ugandans are urged to be vigilant and question religious figures who demand money for miracles.
With faith and deception dangerously intertwined, the challenge remains to separate true spirituality from the growing influence of witchcraft within the church.
