Kampala, Uganda
Police in Uganda have arrested and charged the bishop of the Evangelical Orthodox Church for Central and Eastern Uganda with aggravated assault after he allegedly beat up and injured a 14-year-old boy whom he had accused of stealing sh10,000 ($US2.64).
Bishop Jancinto Kibuuka, an excommunicated Catholic priest, was arrested on Wednesday, 24th August, at his church, Mamre International Prayer Centre, Namugongo. He appeared before a magistrate last Thursday.
The prosecution told court that on 22nd August, Kibuuka had beaten the boy and inflicted grievous injuries on him. The boy had reportedly accompanied his mother, a cleaner at the church, to work when the incident occurred.
The court was told that after suspecting the boy had stolen the money, Kibuuka called him to his office and interrogated him before assaulting him. He then dragged the boy to his car and drove him to his mother’s home at Namugongo-Janda village in Kira municipality to recover the money.
At the time of the incident, the boy’s mother had left him behind at the church and travelled to a neighbouring town to work.
The prosecution said the boy was rescued by neighbours at his mother’s home. He was in critical condition and was rushed to hospital for treatment.
Magistrate Ivan Seguya stopped Kibuuka from making any plea and applying for bail on grounds that court had no jurisdiction to handle the case that carries a maximum of a life sentence. He remanded him to Luzira Prison until the next convenient court session that will be presided over by a chief magistrate with powers to hear his plea and the bail application.
