Mukono Mayor wants open crusades by traditionalists stopped
Traditionalists exorcise 'evil spirits' from the home of Mr Ronald Mulinda, in Mpala near Entebbe town on Tuesday. Photo by Paul Adude
What you need to know:
- Many Christian and Muslim leaders, and followers of those faiths, still regard traditional religions as pagan, or even satanic
- Uganda is religiously diverse nation with Christianity and Islam being the most widely professed religions
Mukono-The Mayor of Mukono Municipality, Mr George Fred Kagimu has warned groups of people who subscribe to traditional religions from organising open crusades in the town.
The traditionalists mainly believe in indigenous African religions and refer to other religions as ‘foreign’.
Mr Kagimu says, the traditionalists have been staging crusades in different areas in Mukono District to convince people to abandon Christianity and Islam.
Mr Kagimu said on Wednesday at Mayor's Gardens during special prayers for the municipality that were attended by Christian and Moslem religious leaders.
"I don't want traditional healers to convince my people. Last year they started organising open crusades here something I will not tolerate," he said.
He asked police commanders in the area to disperse such crusades citing Masaka and Luweero districts such open crusades were outlawed.
Open public crusades are common among Pentecostal Christians and some Muslim sects.
He advised people to pray and shun witchcraft in their homes.
Uganda is religiously diverse nation with Christianity and Islam being the most widely professed religions.
According to the 2014 census, over 84 percent of the population was Christian while about 14 percent of the population adhered to Islam.
Many Christian and Muslim leaders, and followers of those faiths, still regard traditional religions as pagan, or even satanic.
Foreign missionaries who didn’t understand the African ways of worship branded traditional religions as such, according to the Global Press Journal.
A traditionalist during an exorcism session at the home of Mr Ronald Mulinda, in Mpala Village, Katabi Town Council, near Entebbe on Tuesday. Photo by Paul Adude
Statistics on Uganda’s religious breakdown vary, but the U.S. State Department’s 2014 International Religious Freedom Report noted that the country is 85 percent Christian and 12 percent Muslim. The remaining 3 percent is a mix of religions, including “indigenous beliefs.”
Different communities in Uganda practice different traditional religions, but all of them acknowledge the existence of a supreme being.
Many Ugandans practice traditional religions, whether openly or in secret. Some have shrines in their homes, and others visit traditional priests when they feel they have a need, such as physical healing, finding a spouse or winning an election.
This could be the reason why much as the number of people who confess to be Christians or Muslims is on the rise, the number of traditionalists is also rising.
