When Museveni’s neo-liberal banditry state helps Occultists to grab land: Police silent as Cultist and False Prophet Pastor Michael Mukhono aka Musayi beats people, grabs land

 

Pastor Michael Mukhono aka Musayi

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Police silent as pastor beats people, grabs land

https://observer.ug/news/headlines/65973-police-silent-as-pastor-beats-people-grabs-land

 

August 5, 2020

 

Written by JULIUS ODEKE

 

 Beaten, intimidated and outraged by the wanton land grabbing excesses of Michael Mukhono aka Musayi, a powerful pastor in the eastern Elgon area, residents have taken to public denunciations of police and military officials.

The unrelenting public bribe-taking accusations have cast a harsh spotlight on several top police officials in the Elgon area. Security officials are accused of accepting gifts from Pastor Musayi and deliberately ignoring his rather very violent land grabbing tendencies in the Bugisu sub-region.
For the last six years, writes JULIUS ODEKE, the pastor has allegedly used police bodyguards to grab land and insulate himself from attacks.


“We have seen them being given gifts by Pastor Michael Mukhono aka Pastor Musayi, a man who has caused a lot of havoc in Mbale,” says Michael Kimune, 49, a resident of Namabasha Zone III lower in Namabasha sub-county.
According to Kimune, the gifts are meant to facilitate the killing of evidence and a cover-up of the numerous atrocities committed by Pastor Musayi.
The police reluctance to arrest Pastor Musayi has given ammunition to arguments by some victims of assault like Margaret Wamboga, Michael Kimune, 49, Fred Makabayi, 42, and Martin Wabutwa, 37, that the force’s indifference constitutes a possible case of obstruction of justice.
Pastor Musayi is the leader of Mount Elgon Believers Baptist Independent Mission. Together with his gang, the pastor is accused of beating and cutting people in Namabasa village on July 15, 2019. The case was lodged at Mbale Central Police Station but according to the complainants none of the perpetrators was arrested.
“This has been going on for close to six years and we have never received any justice at all…,” said Fred Makabayi.
Makabayi’s house was allegedly torched and his five acres of land grabbed by Pastor Musayi in Namabasa sub-county. Makabayi and his three colleagues were interviewed by this writer on July 9, 2020. They carried documents chronicling all the ugliest incidents visited on them by Pastor Musayi and his police and military bodyguards.
The victims and other residents in Mbale district point an accusing finger at Brigadier Mike Ochuka Opio, the commanding officer of Bugema military barracks in Mbale city.
Interviewed, Brigadier Mike Ochuka Opio said by telephone, “What I know is that there is an issue of land between Pastor Musayi and the complainants but to say we have armed Pastor Musayi is totally baseless.”
Asked why Pastor Musayi is not under arrest, Brigadier Opio said, “For me, I am a soldier; I am not mandated in any way to arrest anybody. It’s the police who are supposed to do that; why they have failed to arrest him, I also don’t know.”
The complainants, however, allege that Pastor Musayi is guarded by five UPDF soldiers and sometimes by policemen.

 
 Head wounds of one the victims,  Kimume

“The man is a big man, he has even pocketed the security apparatus in this country because we have boldly reported this matter to police and other relevant authorities in the district but nothing has been done to the perpetrators,” Fred Makabayi said.
The torment, complainants claim, started in 2013, when Pastor Musayi began luring their wives into sexual relationships before grabbing their land. Pastor Musayi owns about 100 acres of land in one area, grabbed from residents in Namabasa. Namabasa is about six kilometers from Mbale city.
According to victims whose houses, land, maize, banana plantations and planted forests have been slashed by Pastor Musayi, security officials are always given gifts to kill cases against the pastor. The victims claim the pastor has constructed structures on their land including his church.
The evictions gathered momentum when police and UPDF gave Pastor Musayi armed bodyguards. Interviewed for a comment recently, the resident district commissioner, Sulaiman Barasa Ogajo said, “Arming and providing guards for Pastor Musayi is impossible since all security agencies in the district are looking for him in order to arrest him.”
“What I know for a fact is that Pastor Musayi is a mafia and we were challenged when President Yoweri Museveni locked down the country due to the outbreak of the coronavirus in March, so we could not do much but right now we are pursuing him,” he said.
In June 27, 2019, the area LC-1 chairman wrote a letter titled: Insecurity in Namabasa Zone III and Namabasa Zone IV. He wrote to the regional police commander, Elgon zone requesting him to intervene.
In the letter, the LC-1 boss said the insecurity stemmed from the commercialization of land disputes between Pastor Michael Mukhono (Musayi) and the people living around his Elgon Mission.
“He has become a threat to the public and there are some roadblocks, which have been mounted illegally with an aim of terrorizing residents and road users,” the letter reads in part.
He said a number of houses had been razed. Pastor Musayi allegedly pours acid on people’s iron-sheet roofs and slashes banana plantations, maize crops and poisons domestic animals, he said. According to the letter, houses belonging to Fred Makabayi and Martin Wabutwa were torched. The owners and their families were forced to shift to Bugema.
The LC1 chairman urged the office of the Regional Police Commander (RPC) to intervene and calm the situation.
According to Martin Wabutwa, Pastor Musayi refused to recognize the area LC-I authority. He created a parallel administration.
To create his stooge LC-1 administration, Pastor Musayi first approached the Namabasa sub-county LC-III chairperson, Khalidi Sebujjo. He asked him to allow members of his church to become the LC-1 executive, a request Sebujjo rejected out right saying, “There is no way Pastor Musayi can create an LC-1 administration yet there is an existing council elected by people in May 2018.”
Pastor Musayi then approached the RDC, Barasa Ogajo, and asked him to recognize his church members as a separate LC-I committee. He said the committee would be managed by members of Mount Elgon Believers Baptist Independent Mission.
Ogajo without hesitation gave Pastor Musayi express powers to create his own Local Council system.
Interviewed, Ogajo said, “This is an autonomous village that was created by government and they had to have their own independent LC system.”
However, people in Namabasa say the RDC’s claim is totally false because Pastor Musayi’s LC-I system operates within an existing council administration. The RDC-approved parallel LC-1 executive has John Masaka, a co-pastor of Musayi, as the chairperson, Vincent Mataya is the vice chairperson and Julius Mutsuma is secretary for defence, among others.
“These are all members of Pastor Musayi’s church and now are in possession of an illegal stamp for the same area operating an LC-I system,” says Martin Wabutwa.

Pastor Michael Mukhono aka Musayi

Wabutwa says: “Pastor Musayi runs a village health facility which operates without any qualified medical personnel and on many occasions treats patients using veterinary medicine. And this has caused a big health problem in Namabasa.”
Interviewed for this story, one senior police officer said, “Locals in Namabasa are falsely accusing Pastor Musayi and when you ask them to record official statements with police, nobody turns up,” he said.
“It’s only Margaret Wamboga and three men [Kimune, Makabayi and Wabutwa] who have recorded statements with police and we shall handle that matter soon,” the senior police officer said.
However, the LC-I boss for Namabasa Zone III “A”, Bonofasi Lukholele, in his letter to O/C Mbale CPS dated 25/06/2019, said; “Mr Makabayi reported to the office of LC last night on 24/06/2019 that his house was burnt using acid and salt that was poured on top of the iron sheets.”
Makabayi claims no police investigations were opened. In a six-page petition to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) in Kampala, a copy of which was lodged with Mbale police, residents of Namabasa laid bare Pastor Musayi’s long catalogue of excesses, which included vandalizing of the Umeme meter and service wires that served the area on June 25, 2019 and the matter was reported to CPS Mbale RE: SD 145/26/06/2019.
Gabriel Odatin, the Umeme manager in Mbale, told this writer recently; “It’s true that a company car was vandalized by Pastor Musayi and his gangsters as our staff were on duty and some of the Umeme staff were badly injured but we reported the matter to police and we are waiting for their response.”
“On the side of the company car, since it was insured, it has been repaired and it’s back on the road,” he added.
“On 2nd July, a group of the mission believers led by Pastor Musayi moved around the villages of Namabasa Zone IV Lower and Zone III beating residents at 3am,” the petition reads further.
The petition also claims that the victims were then confined in Pastor Musayi’s private office at his church before they were taken to Namabasa police post in the morning and falsely accused.
“It took the intervention of the community to have the five people out,” the petition partly reads.
This happened after Wamboga and Makabayi who are Pastor Musayi’s immediate neighbors sued him for grabbing their land.
And on July, 15 2019 at around 8am while trying to enter his home in the company of Michael Kimune, the trio was attacked. Kimune sustained three deep cut wounds on his head, inflicted by machete-welding men.
The victims were rushed to Mbale regional referral hospital in critical condition. Kimune was later referred to Cure Hospital for special attention since he was to undergo a surgical operation on his head. The LC-III chairperson for Namabasa sub-county Khalid Sebujjo in his letter to the RDC Ogajo dated June 26, 2019 detailed the insecurity within his sub-county.

Michael Kimume

In his letter, Sebujjo writes: “This is to inform your office that there is a lot of insecurity in this area, some residents have experienced threats of murder by unknown people who even pour acid on people’s houses. Therefore, we call upon you to investigate this matter wisely so as to avoid bloodshed.”
In the petition to IGP, the people of Namabasa said: “We want to state clearly to you that Pastor Michael Mukhono aka Pastor Musayi is a powerful person in our district, he has money to give to the security personnel to keep our residents in police cells.”
The residents accuse a driver of a police patrol van only known as Opolot of consistently tipping off Pastor Musayi whenever there’s an impending arrest.
Makabyi says, “By the time the police patrol van reaches the scene, Pastor Musayi will have already fled…”
However, a senior police officer said; “It is the coronavirus-19 outbreak that brought everything to a halt; otherwise, police was steadily and swiftly moving to have Pastor Musayi and his allies arrested.”
On the issue of police corruption, he said, “I have heard about those allegations and I am now beginning to believe them because people have said so many times that police in Mbale are corrupt and openly demand for bribes, but we shall sort this mess.”
Pastor Musayi came to Namabasa in 2013 to operate a church. He drew a big congregation but after two years he annoyed some followers when he quietly started having sexual encounters with their wives. Pastor Musayi also held several Passover ceremonies in Namabasa on December 13, every year.
“These celebrations were used to extend bribes to security officials in the district. He invites them and gives them hefty gifts. This is meant to insulate him from any arrests,” Kimune said.
But the RDC Ogajo said, “I have never attended those celebrations but I remember the LC-V boss telling me that he attended.” When I discussed with him at length, I realized that Bernard Mujasi is a member in Pastor Musayi’s church.
As we speak, Pastor Musayi is fully guarded by police and military and anybody who points an accusing finger at him is walloped, said Martin Wabutwa, who once worked closely with Pastor Musayi.
Wabutwa said, “The Passover festival is conducted on 13th December every year and gifts like; matoke, money and chicken are given to the top district officers and this has really caused havoc in this district.”
“It’s only when these security officials stop receiving bribes from people like Pastor Musayi and his associates, that  Mbale residents will have a semblance of sanity,” he added.
In a handwritten letter to the IGP, Margaret Wamboga, a resident of Zone IV Lower cell, claims Pastor Musayi grabbed her 50 acres of land and police has not acted yet she reported the matter to Mbale Central police station.
“The total silence by the police in Mbale has given Pastor Musayi an upper hand to beat and maim residents in the area who oppose his selfish moves of grabbing people’s land and even wives,” said Wabutwa.
Kimune, who sustained three deep cut wounds, says he spent two weeks in the hospital.
“I used Shs 3.7 million to treat myself,” he told this writer, adding, “To-date, I am still living in fear that any time these armed civilians can come back and inflict pain and injuries on me because police has shown no interest in these atrocities committed by Pastor Musayi.”

Silas Etieku Opolot, the principal administrative secretary for Adapt International Organization (AIO), a local organization based in the nearby sub-county of Nakaloke, says, “Many people have been tortured, beaten, displaced and injured and all this untold agony has been perpetuated by members aligned to Mount Elgon Believers Baptist Independent Mission led by Pastor Musayi who has become a security threat to the entire community in Namabasa.”
Opolot says the locals in Zone 3, Zone 4 Upper and Lower in Namabasa accuse Pastor Musayi of using gangs to torment villages.

“We have tried to handle these issues from the grassroots to the regional level. But it has not yielded any positive results,” Opolot says.

District Police Commander Fred Mchanga Ahimbisibwe declined an interview on July 10.
“As police, we have a protocol that we follow. Can you go and talk to the Regional Police Public Relations Officer?” Ahimbisibwe told this writer.
Richard Wangolo, 33, says Pastor Musayi took his wife and used her.
“When I tried to intervene…Pastor Musayi and his associates attempted to beat me but I escaped…,” Wangolo said.

Henry Wambedde, 36, also claimed his wife and three children were taken by Pastor Musayi and haven’t returned to-date.  Interviewed, the district CID officer, Musa Kazibwe Ziiwa, said; “I have so many cases against Pastor Musayi. If you can take me to where he is, I will have him arrested now.” “I have given my bosses all the reports but I don’t know why it has taken long for Pastor Musayi to be apprehended.”

 

Court evicts Mbale priest Michael Mukono from old woman’s property

https://eagle.co.ug/2020/01/25/court-evicts-mbale-priest-michael-mukono-from-old-womans-property.html

By

Geoffery Serugo

-

January 25, 2020

Mbale High Court has evicted Pastor Michael Mukhono also known as Musayi (priest)from plot 9, Pallisa Road in Mbale Municipality after the rightful owner, an old woman, Alice Kimono Kimaswa,86, successfully challenged the pastor who is synonymous with land grabbing in Mbale Municipality.

The eviction order, also stopping the notorious pastor from collecting the rent from tenants of the said building was made by Her Worship Lillian C.N Mwandha on January 23, 2020 in the absence of Pastor Mukhono who is wanted by the same court on various cases related to land grabbing as well as others.

Mukhono, who some sources say financially comprises some of the security officials in the district, is into hiding and security in the whole Bugisu sub region has failed to trace his whereabouts as plaintiffs he grabbed their land from continue to suffer in court.

According to available records, Pastor Mukhono’s church was supposed to help the old woman Alice Kimono Kimaswa build a commercial building after which they would discuss how to compensate the church but upon finishing three floors, Mukhono turned against Ms Kimaswa and claimed ownership of the property located in Mbale’s city centre.

However, Ms Kimaswa says she also contributed money as a church member to kick start the project, only for the pastor to turn against her and look for ways of chasing her from her property. Mukhono had by force brought his family to stay on the old woman’s property despite protests from her family.

He would later in 2010 sue Ms Kimaswa claiming she was disorganising the construction process. Court did not agree with him and instead gave give a go ahead to finish the building, give Shs650,000 per month to the old Kimaswa but he never fulfilled any of the directives, claiming he has his own “heavenly powers)and that he does not respect court processes.

The eviction order also bars Mukhono from collecting rent from the old Alice Kimono Kimaswa’s property which has three levels. He has been collecting rent since 2006, without accounting for the funds.

Widow Kimaswa’s lawyer, Samuel Wekoye has written to tenants stopping them from paying monthly rent to Mukhono and now instead it will be paid to Ms Kimaswa, the true owner of the property as per available documents, including a land title and lease.

When asked Ms Kimaswa lauded her lawyer Wekoye and the court for “doing the right thing” at last as she has been in court since 2010 when Mukhono sued her. Ms Kimaswa has spent over Shs100 million and in legal fees and other costs and would want that money recovered when the main case (Civil Suit No.40 of 2019) is concluded as said by Her Worship Lillian C.N Mwandha.

Ms Kimaswa had tried several approached to have Mukhono evicted from her property. She had tried politicians and police but all these never gave any help. She also registered her case with Justice Catherine Bamugemereire’s land commission but the widow was never helped for unknown reasons.

Records also show that Mukhono has not been compliant in paying tax to URA much as he claimed to be the landlord of the said property. Sources say he has been conniving with some of officers URA Mbale Branch.

Ms Kimaswa says she will consult her lawyers to see how she can pay the URA taxes, even though officials in URA Mbale Branch have some questions to answer as regards documentation.

Meanwhile Mukhono’s first lawyer, Magellan Olubwe of Olubwe & Co. Advocates deserted him after realising he could not win the case. Mukhono had to rely on the services of a second lawyer, Ronald Wetete who also could not stop court from issuing the order as he had no valid arguments.

On November 26, 2012; Justice V.T Zuhurikize while still at Mbale High Court issued a consent decree between the two sides, but it did not favour widow Alice Kimaswa as it favoured Pastor Mukhono, who started operating on the former’s plot from 2006 and has been collecting the rent he has never accounted for.

One of the directives was that Mukhono pays the old woman Shs650,000 per month as he completed the building. He never completed the building and stopped paying the old lady the money. Instead he used the money collected as rent from her property to set up other businesses in town, including a commercial building in Doko a few kilometres from Mbale’s city centre.

Her Worship Lillian C.N Mwandha established that order was wanting, as it lacked signatures key court officials and therefore dismissed it.

The Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs recently released a list of lawyers who are not supposed to represent anyone in court yet Olubwe does so under the watchful eye of Mbale High Court officials.

Residents of Namabasa also want the self-styled priest to be evicted from their area because he is a big problem to them. But they say the RDC Barasa Ogajo has always defended the man who also keeps a group of criminals who beat those opposed to him.

Mukhono not long ago organised his men who seriously beat and injured UMEME workers who had gone to disconnect his buildings due to nonpayment of electricity bills. That case is recorded at Mbale Central Police Station. Days ago his men also beat up residents over land, one is nursing serious injuries at Cure Hospital in Mbale.

Mukhono is also on record for attempting to grab about 70 acres of land from a family in Doko, neighbouring on Mbale-Tirinyi road the Sino-Uganda Industrial park in Mbale being developed by Tian Tang Group.

Mbale Religious Cult Opposes Medical Treatment

https://ugandaradionetwork.com/story/mbale-religious-cult-opposes-medical-treatment 

22 Jun 2009, 

A religious cult with hundreds of followers in eastern Uganda, has stopped its followers from using modern medicine. Followers of Mt. Elgon Independent Baptist Mission which has 87 churches located in Mbale, Manafwa, Bududa and parts of Western Kenya believe in divine healing. Michael Muhono, the Mission Priest and founder, says members of his church turn to him for divine healing whenever they fall sick. The reclusive Muhono who claims to have got a vision from God in 1990 to start the religion says he intercedes between the followers and God.

 Muhono explains that whenever a sick person comes to him he examines the person carefully to know the cause of their sickness and uses spiritual powers to offer healings. There's a way i examine#i Cue out i#iam beyond the treatment of hospital  Muhono claims that his spiritual powers are usually very powerful on Saturdays between noon and 3.p.m where he is able to offer solutions to job seekers, the sick and people faced with court cases. // Cue in: iThey come on#i Cue out i#midday to threei // To Muhono members of his church should only seek medical treatment as a primary thing but turn to him. 

However leaders of Pentecostal churches in Mbale have dismissed Muhono as a leader of a cult and asked government to investigate his activities. Chris Mukama, the Chairman of Mbale Pastors and Elders Association says the practices of Mt. Elgon Baptist Church are suspect and contradict the teachings of the bible. Mukama says government should intervene urgently and investigate the leaders of the cult. However the police say they are not aware of the existence of the church. Ibbin Ssekumbi, says the police can only investigate the church if it receives complaints or when it endangers the security of the people.