Police have arrested Pastor Augustine Yiga of Revival Church Kawala over controversial statements he made in regards to the coronavirus pandemic.
A video has been trending on social media with Pastor Yiga saying coronavirus does not exist in Uganda, what people are suffering now is just simple flu. He said the guidelines by President Museveni, Health Ministry and World Health Organisation are a waste of time.
However, according to Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson, Patrick Onyango, Yiga has been arrested for questioning over the statements that mislead the public.
“The action of Pastor Yiga promotes the spread of the COVID-19 and can, therefore, be considered as a direct attack on the people of the Republic of Uganda,” Onyango said in a statement.
“Therefore, the suspect, who is currently detained at Old Kampala Police Station will be interviewed to establish the motive behind the dangerous utterances.”
The Kampala Police publicist warned the public to desist from such false and alarmist utterances that may mislead the public. Currently, Uganda has 23 confirmed cases of COVID-19.