The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Sembabule, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Cossy Nakagwa, the Headteacher of St. Clement Ntuusi Primary School in Sembabule District is in police custody for allegedly interfering in the search for a new Bishop of West Buganda Diocese. Police apprehended her on Monday evening while chairing a School Management Committee meeting.
Her arrest follows a petition that challenged the nomination of Reverend Canon Patrick Ssimbwa, the Archdeacon of Sembabule, as a candidate for the position of Bishop of West Buganda Diocese. The petition led to the Provincial Secretariat canceling his candidature.
Since November last year, the Church of Uganda in West Buganda Diocese has been searching for its seventh Bishop to replace the Right Reverend Henry Katumba Tamale, who is set to retire next month after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 65.
However, in January, near the conclusion of the selection process, the Diocesan Vetting Committee and the Provincial Secretariat received a petition against Canon Ssimbwa. The petition, purportedly filed by Naume Namakula, a resident of Lwemiyaga Sub-County in Sembabule, accused him of fathering a child in an extramarital affair and later neglecting his parental responsibilities, which allegedly led to the child’s death in 2016.
Although the petitioner never appeared before any committee to testify, the allegations created significant controversy, resulting in Canon Ssimbwa’s removal from the list of nominees. Dissatisfied with the decision, the Diocesan Vetting Committee and some clergy called on the police to investigate the claims made in the petition.
Twaha Kasirye, the Greater Masaka Regional Police Spokesperson, says investigations revealed that the petition was actually authored by Nakagwa, who disguised herself as Naume Namakula. According to Kasirye, Nakagwa had switched off her phone and gone into hiding, prompting police to track her through her associates.
“After analyzing her call data, we established constant communication between Nakagwa and one of the suspects previously arrested for allegedly plotting and funding blackmail against Canon Ssimbwa,” Kasirye stated. He added that police have opened a general inquiry file into the matter and are still pursuing other individuals believed to have conspired in the blackmail.
Nakagwa is currently being held at Sembabule Central Police Station and is expected to assist in identifying her accomplices. Her arrest and the ongoing investigations come a week after the House of Bishops declared Reverend Canon Gaster Nsereko as the Bishop-elect for West Buganda Diocese.
