Police in Iganga District are holding a traditional healer for allegedly raping a university student after fleecing her of Shs2.2m meant for her tuition.
According to Daily Monitor, Mr Yusuf Otega Kobe, a herbalist in Kasokoso village in Iganga Municipality, is said to have placed an advert on local FM radio stations in Busoga indicating that he could boost one’s chances of making money and favour.
The student at one of the local private universities based in Jinja, used the advert to trace the healer for ‘medicine’ to help her get paid Shs260 000, which bosses at her part-time job in Mbiko Trading Centre owed her. She also wanted the concoction to enable her get Shs5m to start a business.
Busoga East region police spokesperson James Mubi confirmed the incident and said the suspect and the victim met at Total Guest House in Iganga Town where the healer assured her that instead of Shs5m capital she wanted, the ‘medicine’ would even enable her get up to Shs300m.
Mr Mubi said negotiations to buy the ‘medicine’ commenced immediately and the girl paid Shs100,000 for which the healer gave her some medicine, saying it would work within two days, but asked her to return if nothing was realised. The girl applied it but she did not see results for a week. She returned to the healer who told her she was given ‘weak’ medicine because she had paid little money and therefore needed to pay more for the right medicine obtainable only out of the country.
According to the girl’s statement at police, she accepted to pay Shs2.1m to the healer. The victim was instructed to return after three days to pick the medicine. Upon return, the healer told her to use the medicine while having sex with a man.
Rape scheme
The victim who stays with a boyfriend in Mbiko Trading Centre, Buikwe District did so but nothing worked out. She went back to the healer. That’s when the scheme to rape her began.
Mr Mubi said: “The story we have got is that the traditional healer raped a university student under the guise of administering medicine through sex by himself because she had failed to observe the rules.”