Limit freedom of witchdoctors, says Orombi

Jun 21, 2009

the Government has been lenient on witchdoctors which has led to increased cases of child sacrifice, the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda has said.

By Francis Kagolo

the Government has been lenient on witchdoctors which has led to increased cases of child sacrifice, the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda has said.

“Child sacrifice is a result of the freedom given to witchdoctors. This freedom should be reduced,” Henry Luke Orombi said at the Church’s provincial headquarters in Namirembe on Friday.

He urged the Government to enact and enforce harsh laws against witchdoctors to curb the vice.

Orombi made the call while addressing pupils from church-founded schools on their completion of a one-hour march against the vice under the theme, “Stop spilling the blood of children.”

Child sacrifice has been on the increase in Uganda since 2006.

According to Police statistics, 18 ritual murder cases were reported last year, but only 15 had been probed.

The perpetrators of the crime are said to aim at getting rich quickly.

About 3,000 children disappear from home annually, according to the Police, the majority of whom could have been sacrificed.

The children, who handed the Archbishop petitions against the vice, urged him to boost the campaign against child sacrifice.

“We children are always in great fear due to the murderers. We are disappointed by the way the Police investigate cases of child sacrifice because they always delay,” said Christine Namitala, a Primary Six pupil of Wobulenzi Public School in Luweero district.

The poor investigations by the Police, the children said, had on several occasions compelled the courts to set culprits free due to lack of evidence.

They asked the Government to ban witchdoctors, adding that those convicted of child sacrifice should be court-martialled.

Orombi commended the children for demonstrating that their lives were important and promised to forward their petition to President Yoweri Museveni.

“Child sacrifice is evil, horrible, a shame and an insult to Uganda, which is supposed to be a Christian country.”

Addressing journalists after meeting the children, Orombi said the biggest challenge to fighting child sacrifice was people’s failure to surrender to God and not witchdoctors.

“Witchdoctors exist because there are people seeking their services. If all people shunned them, they would cease existing,” he said.

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