Rodney Muhumuza
5 September 2008
Kampala — Jackson Senyonga, the Ugandan pastor who faces federal charges in the US for alleged molestation of a child, remains on the preaching circuit there, according to the head of a local fellowship for Ugandan Pentecostals.
Pastor Alex Mitala, the head of the National Fellowship for Born Again Pentecostal Churches, said he heard that Senyonga is going on preaching.
Mr Senyonga, 41, was on August 16 arrested in Oakland, California, on suspicion of committing a lewd and lascivious act on a girl under 14 during a flight.
Mr Senyonga's case is now with federal investigators after Alameda County, the local jurisdiction that arrested him, dropped the charges. He is out on bail. Details of his status were still unclear and it was not possible to confirm whether he was still in California.
Mr Mitala recently spoke out in support of Mr Senyonga, saying the accused preacher's version of events was plausible. Mr Senyonga, in accounts to his church members and to Mr Mitala, claimed he had been misunderstood by his accuser.
Mr Senyonga, who denies any wrongdoing, says he drew closer to the girl during the flight because he wanted to avoid the snoring and drooling of an old man seated to his right.
Mr Ronald Mubiru, an aide to Mr Senyonga, yesterday said the preacher continues to interact with his Kampala congregation by teleconference. "What I know is that he is fine and going ahead with his work," Mr Mubiru said.
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