Police in Rukungiri District have arrested a pastor accused of assaulting a church secretary during a dispute over church collections.
The suspect has been identified as Ayebare Felix, a pastor at Kyarusongyera Anointed Church in Bwanga Parish, Nyarushanje Sub-county.
According to police, the incident occurred on August 30 at about 2pm at the church, where Ayebare allegedly assaulted Ms Byomuhangi Joan, 34, the church secretary.
It is alleged that the pastor grabbed money from a collection basket before it was counted, prompting a confrontation with Byomuhangi.
Police said Ayebare allegedly hit and boxed the church secretary before grabbing her mobile phone and throwing it to the ground, causing cracks on both the front and back.
The pastor had allegedly earlier accused Byomuhangi of preventing him from accessing church money and threatened her, police said.
SP Nelson Tumushime, the Kigezi Region police spokesperson, confirmed the arrest and warned religious leaders against using violence or engaging in other criminal activities.
“We caution all religious leaders to operate within the law. Freedom of worship does not allow assault, fraud and extortion,” Tumushime said.
He added that pastors and other religious leaders found engaging in criminal activities would be arrested and prosecuted in accordance with Ugandan law.
Police have urged religious institutions to resolve disputes through lawful and peaceful means rather than resorting to violence.
