According to Welishe, Wamoto disappeared with the 17-year-old girl last year and only returned after a long search. He says that they later discovered that she was cohabiting with the pastor, which prompted them to notify the police who arrested him.
Police in Mbale is holding
a pastor for allegedly defiling and impregnating two teenagers from the same
family. The suspect is Pastor Israel
Wamoto from Prayer Alter Church in Mbale district.
He was picked up on Tuesday on a tip-off by concerned citizens. According
to available information, Pastor Wamoto picked his 14 and 17-year-old victims from their
parents in Bunamono village in Luhongye sub-county in Mbale district to pray for them but
instead turned them into his wives.
The minor’s
father, Paul Welishe, says that his daughter
started praying in Wamoto’s
church and
he assured him of their safety. He, however, says that as days went by the teenagers
started skipping returning home.
According to Welishe, Wamoto disappeared with the 17-year-old girl last
year and only returned after a long search. He says that they later discovered that
she was cohabiting with the pastor, which prompted them to notify the police who
arrested him.
According
to Welishe, upon interrogation, the teenager told police that the pastor was sleeping
with her together with her little sister.
//Cue in: “Kati omwana yategela…
Cue out:…nga naye ali lubuto,”//
Richard Mutaama, a resident of Bunamona village, says that the pastor took advantage of the lockdown to sexually abuse the girls who were seeking spiritual guidance
from his church.
//Cue in: "Kati nolaba nti covid…
Cue out:…nga abakazi,”//
Okello Odia, the LC I Chairperson of Bunamono village, says that Wamoto came to the village as an innocent man
and they welcomed him to establish a church but they got surprised when he
started eloping with peoples’ wives and children.
He said his arrest was long overdue because he had received several complaints from the residents about
his irrational behavior. The
pastor is currently being held at Mbale District Police Headquarters in Busoba sub-county as investigations are ongoing.
The Elgon Region
Police spokesperson, Rogers
Taitika was not readily available for comment on the matter as he could not pick up nor return our repeated calls.
Kirinya Ayubu is the URN Bureau Chief of Elgon/Bukedi Sub Regions . He holds a Bachelors Degree in Mass Communication from Islamic University in Uganda and a Diploma in Computer Science and Information Technology from the same University.
