By Ijoo Bosco
Authorities in Owiny Ki Bul, Magwi County, are investigating an incident in which unknown persons burned down two houses of worship belonging to the Seventh-Day Adventist Church (SDA) and the African Inland Church (AIC).
The two churches are located approximately half a kilometre apart. Currently, authorities are holding a suspect believed to be experiencing mental health issues as they continue their investigation.
According to Mr. Mabutu Isaac, an SDA church elder in Owiny Ki Bul, unidentified individuals set the church on fire in the early morning hours of Sunday, January 20, 2025, destroying everything inside.
He stated that the fire was noticed at around 3 a.m. when people awoke to find the church ablaze.
Pastor Alana Paul Francis, the Magwi SDA leader, condemned the act and called for the perpetrators to repent and turn away from such behavior.
He mentioned that the church leaders would meet with members across the district to discuss possible ways to build a new place of worship in the area.
Owot Jackson, the pastor of AIC in Owiny Ki Bul, urged the authorities to release the suspect, indicating that the church leaders are leaving everything in God’s hands.
He also reported that all church properties were completely destroyed in the fire.
For his part, Mr. Otto Nelson Lony, Chairperson of the Interchurch in the Acholi Corridor, condemned the burning of both churches in the strongest terms.
He noted that this is not the first instance of church property destruction that he has encountered, referencing a recent incident where unknown individuals broke into an Apostolic Church in Magwi and stole all its belongings, as well as the burning of a church in Omeo.
Just last week, an unknown person entered the house of worship belonging to the Evangelical Free Church of South Sudan in Owiny Ki Bul and burned everything inside.