Pastor Kiwedde set free after completing his jail term

What you need to know:

  • Muwanguzi has previously faced several charges including terrorism, illegal possession of firearms and assaulting a police officer on duty.
  • Records at police indicate that in 2010, Muwanguzi changed his name to Paul Mwamba and went in hiding in Kenya where he opened a church in Eldoret which he operated until 2013.

MASAKA. Pastor William Paul Muwanguzi, famously known as Pastor Kiwedde is now a free man after serving his sentence.

Pastor Kiwedde was in 2013 arrested in Rakai District, where he was impersonating a Kenyan Catholic priest who was performing prayers and miracles of healing, and extorted colossal sums of money from hundreds of unsuspecting followers.

However, after serving part of his sentence at Mutukula prison, in 2014, Kiwedde escaped from prison and managed to get out of the country through Mutukula border before going to Zimbabwe from where he was repatriated back to Uganda in November 2016 to complete his sentence.

He had been sentenced to a four-year jail term for impersonation but was give two more years for the prison break and being in possession of a fake passport in the names of David Mubiru.

Mr Frank Baine, the Uganda Prisons Service public relations officer, confirmed Tuesday morning that Pastor Kiwedde was released after completing his jail term.

“Mr Muwanguzi completed his jail term and he is now a free man, he was released on Monday from Masaka Prison where he was serving his sentence from,” he said in a telephone interview.

Pastor Kiwedde, became famous because of his activities at his defunct Church under the name of Holy Fire Ministries at Namulanda Village along Kampala- Entebbe road where thousands of believers used to gather to receive ‘miracles’.

He is said to have extorted a lot of money from his followers from which he accumulated wealth and bought lavish cars he branded 'Kiwedde' meaning ‘it is done’.

Muwanguzi has previously faced several charges including terrorism, illegal possession of firearms and assaulting a police officer on duty.

Records at police indicate that in 2010, Muwanguzi changed his name to Paul Mwamba and went into hiding in Kenya where he opened a church in Eldoret which he operated until 2013.