Witchcraft and Poison Allegations Shake Kamuli After Death of District Chairperson

Kamuli District has been plunged into fear and controversy following allegations by former district chairperson Salaam Musumba that the death of LC5 chairperson Charles Maxwell Mugude, also known as Kuwembula, may have been linked to witchcraft and poisoning.

Musumba, speaking on a local radio station, claimed that a network of herbalists and poisoners is targeting political and business leaders in Kamuli.

Her explosive remarks come in the wake of Kuwembula’s death in a road accident last week in Nakifuma, Mukono District, along the Mukono–Kayunga Road.

“They use traditional poison or they bewitch you,” Musumba said, warning that fear of being targeted has forced many leaders to avoid spending time in the district.

She alleged that she herself was once a poisoning victim, claiming the ordeal caused her to lose her hair.

Musumba named several other individuals she believes have been victims of poisoning, including Nabwigulu Sub-county NRM chairperson Charles Mugaya, Robert Namiti, and Bugabula South MP aspirant Patricia Katagwa.

“To prevent more deaths, I am ready to name and shame the architects of poison in Kamuli on Sunday during the burial of my brother Kuwembula,” she added.

She also blamed the alleged poisoning incidents for the declining state of business in Kamuli.

“People can’t do business freely in Kamuli anymore. Many politicians no longer eat in Kamuli eating places. Personally, if I’m to eat in any restaurant in Kamuli, I go straight to the kitchen and serve myself,” she said.

Mugude died at around 4:30am on Thursday after his vehicle reportedly rammed into a Sino truck along Kayunga Road.

The crash killed him instantly. While police attributed the death to a road accident, the circumstances have triggered widespread speculation, especially after Mugude himself revealed shortly before his death that he had been battling poisoning for five months and had sought treatment in Germany.

This was not the first time Mugude had faced danger. In 2021, shortly after assuming office, he survived another road crash after his vehicle collided with a stray cow.

The pattern of leaders dying or falling gravely ill under unusual circumstances has raised alarms among residents.

Kamuli has a grim history of losing leaders in road accidents. In 2004, former LCV chairperson Baligeya Kaloli Isabirye and his wife Annet Chelangat died in a crash at Budhumbula village along the Jinja–Kamuli Highway.

It was reported that they had knocked a stray cow at around 9:30 p.m. In 2009, former Budiope County MP Henry Balikoowa died after ramming into a sugarcane truck in Mabira Forest along the Jinja–Kampala Highway.

Musumba, who rose to the LC5 chairperson role in 2012 after the court nullified the election of Ahmed Kawugu Mugaino over academic qualifications, also served as Bugabula South MP between 2001 and 2006. She remains an influential figure in Kamuli politics.

Her statements have deepened public anxiety, with calls now growing for investigations into the deaths and illnesses of several prominent figures in the district.

Authorities have not confirmed any evidence of poisoning or witchcraft in the recent incidents.

As police continue to probe the circumstances surrounding Kuwembula’s death, Kamuli remains tense, gripped by a mix of grief, suspicion, and rising demands for transparency.