By Gladys Kalibbala
MUKONO - It is ten months now since 12-year-old Abdul Samado Kijjambu went missing on December 27 last year.
Parents say they have done everything possible to trace him to no avail. Jane Nayiga and her husband, Abdul Razak Lusambya, say the pastor in whose hands their son got lost is not offering any assistance.
But Pastor Grace Balondemu says the couple found their son, but are hiding him to get money from her. “But I am not afraid, the courts will find out the truth of this matter,” she said.
What happened?
Nayiga has been praying at Pastor Balondemu’s Katosi Healing Mission Church with her children Kijjambu, Prossy Nantale, 14 and Gertrude Nabisere.
“On the fateful day, Christians from Balondemu’s Church went to attend prayers at Nabbi Dan’s Church in Mukono, to welcome the New Year.
"I could not go because I was sick, but Pastor Balondemu offered to take care of my children, insisting that Kijjambu would benefit from the prayers since he was unwell.
At Mukono Church
Kijjambu’s sisters say all was well, until December 30, when it was their Choir’s turn to present songs. Kijjambu, who was sick, could not join them in the main Church.
“Pastor Balondemu asked us to leave him in her custody in the tent,” Nantale narrated
“But on return, Kijjambu was nowhere to be seen. The pastor assured us he would be back shortly. But when he did not, we got worried.”
Kijjambu’s sisters say the pastor stopped them from searching the neighborhood, assuring them the boy would surface soon.
Police
Nayiga says she first got information about her missing son from a member of the choir on New Year’s Day, not the pastor herself.
She said the pastor told her not to worry, saying Kijjambu would show up after a week. Nayiga reported the matter to the Mukono Police on January 4, this year.
When Balondemu was summoned by Police, she asked for some time, saying she was searching for the boy.
She also asked for Kijjambu’s photos, so that she would run announcements about his disappearance. But on January 28, the Police lost patience and arrested her.
The pastor was released on bond on February, 3 and, later, the case went to Mukono Court, where it is currently being heard.
