Herbalist held over extortion
A crowd looks on as a witchdoctor in Kasese tries to glean information from a suspected thief. PHOTO BY ENID NINSIIMA.
What you need to know:
The man has allegedly been convincing herbalists to pay Shs50,000 to be considered for Museveni-supported projects.
KASESE/KABAROLE- Police in Fort Portal District are holding a man who has been using the President’s name to extort money from herbalists.
The arrest was prompted by the National Coordinator for Traditional Herbalist Association, Mr Jackson Mugambwa, after receiving a tip off that the suspect had been registering herbalists under unclear circumstances.
The man had been charging herbalists Shs50,000 to register them under his association - Bwanga Bwamirembe convincing them that he would connect them to the President’s support programme. “He had coned more than 20 herbalists from Rwenzori sub-region. We arrested him and handed him to police,” said Mr Mugambwa.
Meanwhile, residents in Kasese District have asked to monitor the activities of witchdoctors and traditional healers, whose number in the area is growing at a fast rate.
“We are worried about the big numbers of witchdoctors and traditional healers in our area [Nyamwamba Division]. We suspect they could be among the wrong elements terrorising us,” the chairperson Nyamwamba Division, Mr Simon Baluku, said.
The number has alarmingly been growing in Kitoro/Acholi quarters, Kizungu and Saluti, all in Nyamwamba Division.
