Pastors condemn “sodomy” rather than alleged rape
The allegations of pedophilia and rape recently made against male Ugandan pastor Grace Kitaka (which I blogged here) have stirred his peers into action:
“The National fellowship of Born-again Pentecostal Churches of Uganda has set up its own committee to investigate the allegations against Kitaka,” the chairperson, Pastor Alex Mitala, announced yesterday.
That seems to be a more energetic than the efforts of the police, who don’t appear to have done much since Kitaka was arrested last year. However:
…”We warn all born-again Christians against all forms of sexual perversion and we state that sodomy has never been and will never be acceptable in the balokole (born again) community. And it is illegal under the laws of Uganda.” Mitala applauded Kitaka for resigning, saying the move would promote integrity in their churches.
Yes, the problem is that Kitaka is accused of engaging in gay sex, not that he’s allegedly a pedophile rapist.
A second report adds:
Pastor Martin Sempa of Makerere Community Church said on Tuesday he was “happy” that Mr Kitaka has been exposed. “All along I have been telling people about this guy,” he said.
Pastor Mitala said he wanted all the “dirt” to be exposed and called on the police to “do their duty and protect the public”.
Also:
The announcement means that should the investigators find evidence to implicate the cleric, the Kampala church of Imelda Namutebi, where Mr Kitaka is an associate, could also be blacklisted by the fellowship.
Namutebi is one of the most prominent Pentecostal pastors in Uganda; the man who accuses Kitaka of abusing him over many years also says that she made threats and offered bribes to keep him quiet. She and Sempa have reportedly been at loggerheads since he denounced her marriage to man who had left his family to be with her.
The news reports also link the story to a second scandal, concerning a Ghanaian pastor who was arrested recently at Entebbe airport:
Interest in the activities of the Pentecostals has been stoked further by the recent arrest and interrogation at Entebbe Airport of a Ghanaian-born Kampala pastor who procured an “electric touch” machine that is believed to shock unsuspecting followers who think it is the power of the Holy Spirit.
Mr Kojo Obiri Yeboah is now the subject of a police investigation. He was yesterday disowned by Pastor Mitala. “Obiri is not known to us as a member of the Born Again Christian community in Uganda”.
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