21-year-old arrested for burning churches because preachers have kept him in poverty

Police have arrested a 21-year-old for burning three churches early Monday morning.

John Reagan Ngobi, an unemployed resident of Kasokoso Beach, Wakiso district, reportedly handed himself to the authorities after burning the churches in Kasokoso, Kira municipality, Wakiso district.

According to the police, the burnt churches include St Noah Catholic Church Kasokoso, Liberty Church of Christ international and God’s Tour Promising Church.

At St Noah, Ngobi is said yo have destroyed Rev father Mathias Mulumba Kalemba’s church clothes, church books, alter wine, curtains and plastic chairs all valued at Shs1.5 million. Unfortunately for Ngobi, the  fire did not spread further.

At Liberty Church of Christ, under the leadership of pastor Bageya Vincent, Ngobi burnt a sofa set, wine, curtains, and church books.

Fire did not spread at Pastor Odinga Kadika’s God’s Tour Promising Church located in Kasokoso.

“The culprit would gain entry into these churches by breaking through windows and then he would collect church property and set them on fire with intent to burn the church,” a police statement reads in part.

The culprit is said to have ‘brought himself to Kira Division police armed with three brand new knives’ at 9am.

“During interview the suspect revealed that, he burnt these churches because of Anger arising from the fact that churches preach prosperity but he has remained poor.”

“That his poverty situation motivated him to buy two litres of petrol and one for paraffin which he used to burn church property with intent to burn the churches completely to ashes. In his minds up to now since he left fire burning in these respective churches, he still believes that the churches were completely burnt.”

Further investigations are ongoing to examine the culprit with a view of establishing whether he is in a sound and Sane mental state.

3. To profile the culprit with a view of knowing his background and previous crime record.