Like the saying, “old habits die hard,” there is tension brewing in church over pastors who were once witch doctors but declared that they had got saved and began churches. Cross sections in church believe that it is these ‘witch doctors’ that are responsible for the current crisis in the born again churchs.
Top stories of ‘men of God’ using charms and electric gadgets to perform miracles, sodomy, raping girls and snatching wives and husbands of members of their flock, have of recent dominated front pages in newspapers, tainting the image of born again churches.
Pastor Solomon Male, who is strongly accused by fellow pastors of washing their dirty linen in the public, has vowed to clean up the mess in born again churches. “I will not rest until the church is free of such decadence,” he says.
It is for this reason that with the help of Arising for Christ, an organisation which he heads, Male decided to shoot Wolves Among The Sheep, a 28 minute documentary film. The organisation’s main objective is to shoot down false prophets.
The film starts with footages of Kibwetere’s Kanungu massacre in 2000. Explaining why he used the footage, Male says that, if nobody does something to stop the rot in church, another crisis of Kanungu proportions is certain to re-occur. The documentary also brings into light, the evil that other unsuspected pastors allegedly inherited from John Obiri Yeboah.
According to Male, John Obiri first came to Uganda in 1972 and claimed that he had powers to raise the dead. When President Idi Amin brought him the corpses that he wanted him to raise, Obiri failed and fled for his life. He came back in the country in 1986 and this time round his mission was to take over as many church leaders as possible.
In one of the footages Obiri is recorded praising Pastor Simeon Kayiwa of Namirembe Christian Fellowship, “so I tell you I came here and saw the work of Pastor Kayiwa….. and there will be a time if the gods helps him he can do the same like me. (sic)” Male alleges in the documentary that in 1987 when Obiri died, many pastors almost clashed, each claiming to be his rightful heir.
At one time, Male alleges that these pastors almost fought at White Nile a club in Katwe, which served as Obiri’s church. They believed that if they owned the church they would also own his powers.
Male alleges that Pastor Simeon Kayiwa, is said to have claimed that Obiri had anointed him as his heir, Apostle Deo Balabyekubo claimed that the prophet had left him with his Bible, while pastors Makumbi and Samuel Kakande claimed that he had left them with his personal items like the robe, Bible, pants and others.
Kayiwa says that all these pastors have since retained Obiri’s powers; and that their acts have manifested in newspaper articles. Some of these articles as shown in the film read, “CID finally on Kayiwa’s case” “Kayiwa gave me cursed oil to use with my family” “Pastor Kayiwa in human sacrifice.” The movie also includes a song, which is allegedly sang in Namirembe Christian Fellowship in praise of Obiri as a great man.
Male said that the devil has infiltrated the church, “the public should look at the acts of their pastors before joining their churches,” he warned. He added that, if a pastor’s acts are contrary to the Bible, one should not wait to run away.
He sights acts which are done by the pastors which suggest that they have deviated from the Bible teaching like, Frances Adroa, an HIV/Aids victim who was deceived that if she sacrificed her car to God in the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, she would be cured of Aids, David Nsubuga who sowed his vehicle into Prophetess Namutebi’s Liberty Worship Centre, Milly Akelo who was conned by Pastor Ronnie and Betty Badda of Jesus Liberty Praising Centre International of her car, cash and other items hoping she would get a lover and many others.