According to Ssubi, while initiating the cleansing ritual inside the shrine, the client ran outside, climbed the neighboring electricity pole, pulled down electricity conductors, and was electrocuted.
Police are investigating circumstances under which a 20-year-old mentally impaired man was electrocuted in Bugweri district on Monday. It is alleged that the deceased was taken to the shrine of Mutwalubi Ssubi in Bulyansiime village in Igombe sub-county in Bugweri district for ritual cleansing on January 14th, 2023.
According to Ssubi, while initiating the cleansing ritual inside the shrine, the client ran outside, climbed the neighboring electricity pole, pulled down electricity conductors, and was electrocuted. They heard a big blast before the deceased's lifeless body fell to the ground. According to Ssubi, the deceased was suffering from endless relapses and he fed wild herbs to avoid severe convulsions but his escape from the shrine caught him by surprise.
He explains that the deceased was meant to stay in his shrine for five days of ritual cleansing sessions, which would culminate in total recovery. The deceased's mother, Florence Katamba and resident of Butagaya sub-county in Jinja district, says that three of his six children developed mental impairments in 2019 and died the next year.
She explains when the deceased developed mental illness in November last year, clan leaders who on realizing little improvement following his admission at Buwenge health center IV convinced her that the son was demon-possessed, saying managing him at a shrine would restore his sanity.
Busoga East regional police spokesperson, Diana Nandawula, says that inquiries are underway to establish how the deceased met his death. She has implored traditional healers to institute safeguards to protect their clients from danger and grievous harm or even death.
