by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) - Reports emerged this week that Islamic extremists in eastern Uganda have murdered a pastor and a church member for preaching the Gospel to Muslims, the Christian Post reported Saturday. Pastor Peter Kyakulaga and parishioner Tuule Mumbya of Church of Christ were beaten and drowned in a lake in Lugonyola village in the Gadumire Sub-County of Kaliro District on June 22. Church leaders have reportedly asked the local Christian community not to retaliate, but to be in prayer instead, the Christian Post said.
According to sources who contacted Morning Star News, Pastor Kyakulaga and his church had been warned by the extremists the day before the murders: “We have discovered that your mission is not to fish but to hold Christian meetings and then convert Muslims to Christianity. We are not going to take this mission of yours lightly. This is our last warning to you,” the terrorists had said.
Local council chairperson David Nabyoma, from the Namuseru village where the church is located, told Morning Star News about the attack: “[The Christians] were requesting help, saying Muslims from Lugonyola had invaded the area around the lakeside, and several Christians were reported to have been injured, including my son.”
“Immediately we rushed to the scene of the incident with several Christians. We hired four boats and drove to the lake and found out that two of the Christians had been badly beaten and drowned in the lake and died instantly,” Nabyoma said.
Uganda is a majority Christian country, with only 12% Muslims. However, Christians have been attacked for their faith in Muslim-majority areas: the Open Doors watchdog group has reported that: “extremists are exploiting the opportunity to blame Christians for causing the (COVID-19) pandemic” in Somalia, Uganda and Niger, the Christian Post reports.