By Aggrey Baba
A 66-year-old man from Bugiri District in Busoga Sub-region has died after spending about over a year battling severe pain and deteriorating health following an alleged beating at a church gathering in Namutumba, with his family now accusing the leadership of the Universal Apostles Fellowship Church of Righteousness (UAFCR) of responsibility.
This publication is continuing to investigate allegations surrounding UAFCR and its leadership. Anyone with information, including former members or relatives of people who have suffered alleged mistreatment, can contact our reporter on 0701124612.
The deceased, Waiswa Wilson Edhaya of Nakabaale D Village, Namasere Parish, Bulesa Sub-county in Bugiri District, was a pastor serving under UAFCR, a church headed by Prophet Daudi Isanga, also known as Isanga Fred, with its headquarters found in Jinja.
According to his family, Edhaya travelled to Ivukula in Namutumba District in March 2025 to attend the burial of a church member. He reportedly arrived three days after the death because personal circumstances had prevented him from attending earlier, something which did not sit well with the fellow church leaders.
What was supposed to be a routine visit to mourn and bury a fellow believer allegedly turned into an ordeal that his family says left him with injuries from which he never recovered.
John Tusubira, the deceased’s brother, told Mulengera News that Edhaya later disclosed to the family that after the burial, he was taken into a house where he found Dembe Livingstone, a businessman and senior figure within the church, together with a large group of people. Tusubira said his brother estimated the group at about 40 people.
According to the account Edhaya gave his family shortly before his death, Dembe Livingstone (CEO Dembe Hardware-Iganga) allegedly initiated the beating, while the beating was allegedly carried out under the direction or command of Prophet Daudi Isanga’s wife, whom church members commonly refer to as “Mama,” who also participated in the beating. The family says other church members then joined the assault.
Tusubira said Edhaya returned to his home in Bugiri looking weak and frail, and reportedly told his wife that he was in severe pain and asked her to get painkillers for him.
The following morning, his wife reportedly woke him up so they could go to the garden, but he told her that the pain was too severe for him to work.
The family initially sought treatment from nearby clinics and a health centre, but Edhaya’s condition continued to deteriorate.
His relatives eventually sought the attention of Dr Oundo, whom they regarded as one of the more experienced doctors in Bugiri. According to Tusubira, Dr Oundo referred Edhaya to Shalom International Hospital in Jinja for body screening.
The family says the results did not sufficiently explain his condition, prompting another referral to Jinja Regional Referral Hospital.
He was subsequently referred to Kiruddu National Referral Hospital in Kampala, where, according to the family, further screening showed serious kidney damages and injuries affecting his testicles.
Tusubira said Edhaya’s condition eventually became so severe that he was passing pus and blood instead of normal urine.
Doctors at Kiruddu, according to the family, recommended that Edhaya be taken to India for a kidney transplant at a cost estimated by the family at more than UGX 100 million, but the family could not raise the money.
Edhaya was therefore returned home, where his relatives say he spent his final months surviving largely on painkillers and treatment aimed at managing the pain.
For much of that period, however, the family says he did not tell them what had caused his condition.
Tusubira said his brother feared speaking out because he was still a leader within the church and was worried about losing his position and damaging his reputation in the community.
The family says there was also a belief among some church members (Edhaya inclusive) that such a disciplinary punishment was an internal matter and should not be discussed outside the church.
That silence reportedly continued until August 11, 2026, when members of Edhaya’s family confronted him about his deteriorating health and asked him to explain what had happened.
During a family meeting, Tusubira said, Edhaya finally told them that he had been beaten in Namutumba by Dembe Livingstone, Daudi’s wife, and other church members, allegedly after Dembe had initiated the assault and while Isanga’s wife was directing the group.
The family then sought the intervention of a church leader identified as Mr Kyakulaga.
According to Tusubira, Kyakulaga listened to the family’s account and telephoned Prophet Isanga, after which an appointment was arranged for the family to meet the church leader.
However, the family says they, together with Edhaya, met Isanga and explained his condition to him.
Tusubira says Isanga promised to take care of the sick pastor, but that the family did not immediately receive financial assistance.
He says that on Saturday, August 15, when Edhaya’s condition had become critical, Isanga allegedly offered UGX 400,000 to enable the family to take him to Mbale for treatment. But, according to Tusubira, the assistance came too late, and Edhaya died that same night.
His relatives had earlier gone to report the matter to police in Bugiri, where they were reportedly advised to make the report in Namutumba because that was where the alleged assault had occurred.
Tusubira says the family went to Namutumba Central Police Station, where they were allegedly told that because considerable time had passed, opening a criminal case would be difficult and that they could instead pursue a civil case. They were also given medical forms to fill.
The family says the urgency of keeping Edhaya alive had, however, consumed their attention for months, leaving them unable to pursue the matter further before his death.
When contacted, Dembe said he had never beaten Edhaya and had not witnessed anyone beating him.
He also rejected the family’s account linking the deceased’s condition to an assault.
“I was also shocked when he said that I had beaten him. Waiswa was actually my friend whom I had known for years. But he had a lot of medical issues including prostate, kidney issues, pressure and diabetes. He even used to tell me about that as a friend,” Dembe said.
Edhaya’s family, however, disputes that account, saying Edhaya had not previously complained of such illnesses and that his wife can testify to his health before the alleged incident.
The allegations also come against the background of previous controversies surrounding UAFCR and its leadership.
The church, founded in 1963 by Prophet Noah Kalange and Rev. Micros Mafabi, is an indigenous Pentecostal church that has expanded to branches in Uganda and beyond. It is currently headed by Prophet David Isanga (Nabbi Daudi).
In 2020, one of the church’s founders, Micros Mafabi, publicly challenged Isanga’s leadership, accusing him of abandoning the church’s doctrines of tolerance and non-violence. Mafabi alleged that members had been publicly battered and undressed and described the conduct as inconsistent with human-rights standards.
In 2022, Isanga publicly rejected allegations that members of his church were being tortured. He described the accusations as attempts by people opposed to the church and maintained that UAFCR’s teachings were centred on righteousness.
But one of the most striking claims surrounding Isanga is not only about the alleged treatment of followers, but also about the extraordinary influence he is said to believe he commands.
A source who has previously interacted with people raising complaints against the church told this publication that some former members and relatives of alleged victims had even approached the Parliamentary Human Rights Committee over abuses within the church.
The source alleged that the people complaining believed they could not obtain justice because of Isanga’s powerful connections.
According to the source, Isanga has at times allegedly boasted to people around him that he is too powerful to be touched, claiming that he has influence over security agencies and courts and that he has powerful connections within government. The source further alleged that Isanga has portrayed President Yoweri Museveni as a personal friend and claimed that his financial and political connections make it difficult for authorities to act against him.
The source also alleged that Isanga has boasted of having the capacity to support or bankroll government programmes and that this influence gives him unusual protection.
Nevertheless, the claims are significant because Isanga has openly enjoyed access to senior political circles.
In September 2024, President Museveni attended a UAFCR youth crusade organized by Isanga and pledged to address concerns surrounding the registration of churches as non-governmental organizations. Isanga publicly thanked Museveni and urged his followers to support the NRM government.
In December 2025, Museveni again publicly commended Isanga for promoting wealth and job creation among believers, while Isanga praised government programmes and urged believers to support NRM candidates in the 2026 elections.
The relationship has therefore placed Isanga in a prominent position within religious and political circles in Busoga.
It is this combination of religious authority, political access and allegations of harsh disciplinary practices that has prompted questions about who can hold the church leadership accountable when allegations of abuse arise.
Edhaya’s family now wants authorities to establish what happened to the 66-year-old pastor in Namutumba, who was responsible for the alleged assault, whether Dembe Livingstone initiated the beating as alleged, whether Isanga’s wife directed or commanded the group, whether Edhaya suffered injuries during the incident and whether those injuries contributed to the medical complications that preceded his death.
They also want the circumstances under which the matter was initially reported to police examined, particularly why they say they were advised to pursue a civil case rather than have the allegations immediately investigated as a possible criminal matter.
However, Dembe, who was specifically accused by the family, has denied ever beating the deceased. He is also prominent businessman in Budoga, associated with Dembe Hardware. The business reportedly began in Bugiri before being relocated to Iganga and has expanded beyond hardware into construction-related activities and other businesses, and Dembe is said to be an approved agent for many construction material manufacturing companies in the region.
The case now leaves behind a troubling question: how did a 66-year-old pastor who reportedly travelled to attend a burial end up spending more than a year battling severe medical problems before revealing to his family that he had been beaten by fellow members of the religious community he served?
The answer may now depend on whether the police, medical authorities and other relevant institutions independently investigate the family’s allegations.
And as the investigation continues, this publication is seeking more people with first-hand information about UAFCR, Prophet Daudi Isanga, his leadership structure, alleged disciplinary practices and any other cases involving alleged mistreatment of followers. For comments on this story, call/whatsApp us on 0701124612.
