By Ronaldo Kalangi
Kampala, Uganda: The speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon Rebecca Kadaga has refuted witchcraft allegations brought against her by a witchdoctor identified as Damian Akuze, from Kamuli district.
Akuze, who dragged Kadaga to court, alleges that she failed to pay him for the charm he administered to her in 1990 to win parliamentary elections and big jobs in government.
In the case which was filed at Jinja High Court, Akuze wants Kadaga to compensate him Shs200m for herbal charms he allegedly administered to her. While responding to Akuze’s claims through the Clerk to Parliament Ms Jane Kibirige , Kadaga states thus; “The office of the Speaker of Parliament, the Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga has noted with concern defamatory claims made by Damian Akuze, a traditional healer from Kamuli District. He alleges that he catapulted her to the office of Speaker through witchcraft. His claims have been packaged in a suit filed at Jinja High Court and have been splashed in the news pages of Daily Monitor and further amplified by social media. Mr Akuze of Buwala, Buganda zone, Lulyambuzi parish, in Kamuli District alleges that Kadaga procured his charms 29 years ago; beginning on 1st and 2nd September 1990. He claims that since then he has consistently invoked his spirits to propel and keep her in the third highest office in Uganda. And for allegedly casting her into national and international limelight without pay, he is now praying to court to compel Ms Kadaga to pay him Shs200m.
Akuze’s litany of claims has it that Ms Kadaga procured his services so that she could immediately become an MP, a Member of the East African Parliament; get appointed Minister and Speaker of Parliament: and driven in a convoy like the President. In return, she would allegedly pay Mr Akuze Shs204,500,000/=. All this is a figment of the mind. We would like to state as follows:
I. Ms Kadaga became a Member of Parliament in 1989, Therefore the claim that she approached Mr Akuze in September 1990 to make her a leader, which she already was, is wrong. The claim that she didn’t have money to pay for the alleged services is laughable.
2. Ms Kadaga has never been a member of EALA.
3. She was appointed Minister in 1996. This was seven years since she had been elected to Parliament. Therefore, Mr Akuze’s claim that he catapulted her to the post of Minister within a flash should be treated with the contempt it deserves.
4. She was elected Deputy Speaker in 2001, a post she held for 10 years because of hard work but not Mr Akuze’s alleged charms.
5. She was elected Speaker in May 2011; also due to hard work but not witchcraft.
The implication of Akuze’s claim is that he bewitched the entire Parliament, the Presidency and the whole country to elect Ms Kadaga as Speaker.
We hope and pray that Akuze’s comical and fraudulent allegations will be dismissed by court. The Speaker, a vanguard in the fight for good governance; the rights of the weak and poor; and emancipation of the girl-child on the national and international stage; will remain steadfast in serving the country. Any sober minded person can discern the malice aforethought that is embedded in this mischief by her detractors. She has got to her current station life through hard work and a God-given talent of harnessing the good in others. We appeal to all Ugandans to work towards building a more just society.”
