Police have on Monday arrested a man who allegedly tried to burn down three churches in Kasokoso Kira Municipality in Wakiso District saying that the churches preach prosperity and yet they have failed to get him out of poverty.
According to a police statement issued shortly after his arrest, Mr John Reagan Ngobi, 21, told them that he got angry because he has remained in poverty.
“That his poverty situation motivated him to buy two litres of petrol and one for paraffin which he used to burn church property with the intent to burn the churches completely to ashes. In his minds up to now since he left the fire burning in these respective churches, he still believes that the churches were completely burnt,” in part reads the statement from police.
The churches which were burnt include; St Noah Catholic Church Kasokoso under the leadership of Rev Father Mathias Mulumba Kalemba; Liberty church of Christ international for Born Agains under the leadership of Pastor Bageya Vincent; and God’s Tour promising church located in Kasokoso under Pastor Odinga Kadika Nandere.
Police said in a statement that: “In one church, things like sofa set, alter wine, curtains, and church books whose value is not yet established, were burnt. In another church, clothes for the reverend, church books, alter wine, curtains and plastic chairs all valued at Shs1.5 million were put on fire with intent to burn the whole church but the fire did not spread further.”
The LC1 chairman Kasokoso, Mr Ali Mwanda said that he was working with the police to make sure that more evidence is recovered.
“We are currently working with the police and we are at the scene of the crime. We hope that justice will be brought and the matter resolved shortly,” he said.
Mr Ngobi reported himself at Kira Division, where he is being held armed with three brand new knives which he told police that they were for self-defense in case he was caught in action.
Police are yet to examine the culprit to establish whether he is in a sound mental state or search his home to recover any material of evidential value, and profile the culprit with a view of knowing his background and previous criminal record.
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