By Eye Media Reporter | Kamuli
The tragic death of Charles Maxwell Mugude Kuwembula, Kamuli’s sitting LCV Chairman, in a recent road accident has reopened deep community wounds and reignited old fears. Shockingly, he becomes the second district chairman in Kamuli’s history to perish in a similar manner, after the late Karooli Baligeya Isabirye, who also died in a car crash over a decade ago. For many residents, the pattern is too disturbing to ignore—and some are convinced that witchcraft, not coincidence, is to blame.
Over a decade ago, another Kamuli District LCV Chairman, Karooli Baligeya Isabirye, also lost his life in a similarly devastating motor accident. His wife, Annet Chelangat, and a schoolboy died on the spot along the Jinja–Kamuli highway. Baligeya later succumbed to his injuries at Mulago Hospital. His sudden passing left a leadership vacuum and a trail of unanswered questions. Now, history seems to have repeated itself—almost too precisely for comfort.
As the news of Kuwembula’s passing sinks in, residents are finding it difficult to accept these events as mere coincidences. In villages and trading centres across the district, whispers of witchcraft, political rivalry, and sabotage dominate conversations. To many, these back-to-back tragedies—each claiming the district’s top leader—suggest something more sinister than road hazards.
“This can’t just be bad luck. Every time a good leader emerges, something takes them away,” lamented a resident of Butansi.
“We are tired of burying our leaders under mysterious circumstances,” another echoed in disbelief at Nakyaka village.
Kuwembula, a young and charismatic leader, had won hearts across the district for his non-confrontational style of politics. Unlike many of his peers who aligned themselves with factions, he worked to unify rather than divide. His tragic end has not only robbed Kamuli of a forward-looking leader but has also deepened fears among upcoming politicians who see a disturbing pattern in district leadership deaths.
Even more disturbing is that some locals still believe chairmanship of Kamuli is cursed, pointing to past whispers that whoever ascends to the LCV position risks “being eliminated.” Some claim that “surviving witchcraft doesn’t save you from poison or accident.”
With two chairpersons now dead in eerily similar circumstances, leaders and elders are calling for prayers, investigations, and a reawakening of the district’s moral conscience.
Whether or not witchcraft is involved remains a matter of personal belief, but what is undeniable is that Kamuli has once again lost a leader with promise, vision, and love for his people.
