No, this photo doesn’t show a Ugandan pastor walking on worshippers

This article is more than one year old.
Published on May 6, 2019 at 15:31
3 min read
By AFP Kenya, Mary KULUNDU

Various social media posts have claimed to show a Ugandan pastor walking on top of worshippers because he considers himself too holy to step on the ground. The image actually shows people celebrating the return of William Gabula Nadiope, a traditional ruler in Uganda, after his studies in London.

One of the misleading Facebook posts -- we’ve archived it here -- has been shared around 700 times since it was published on April 25.

“Pastor Busoga of Uganda says he is so holy that he can't walk on ground so as not to be contaminated. So his members submitted their bodies as a stepping stone,” read the caption.

A screenshot of the misleading Facebookpost, taken on May 6, 2019

The same misleading post was shared in October 2017 in this Kenyan Facebook group which has more than 1.9 million members and in this private group, which has more than 600,000 members, last November.

The same misleading claim posted on the Group Kenya Facebook group

... and the same claim posted in the private Facebook group Raila's Think Tank

The same photo was also retweeted more than 300 times last year from this Twitter handle which has more than 95,000 followers.

Screenshot taken on May 6, 2019 of a tweet that contained the same claim in 2018

In 2017, this Youtuber cast doubts on claims that the man in the picture was a pastor and asked her followers to help her find out what really happened.

Videos and images of pastors performing absurd acts on their congregants -- who are eagerly hoping to witness miracles -- are not unusual in Africa. Images of ‘men of God’ stepping on followers or riding on their backs have drawn controversy in the past.

However, this particular image is misleading and does not show a pastor but the kyabazinga or traditional ruler of Busoga, one of the five constitutional monarchies of Uganda.

A comment in one of the posts had identified the man seen in the photo as the kyabazinga, William Gabula Nadiope, returning home from abroad.

Searching Google for the phrase “Kyabazinga of Busoga homecoming” led us to a video of the same scene, published on the YouTube channel of local television station NBS TV Uganda on December 2, 2015.

As the caption explained, it shows local residents celebrating the return of the kyabazinga after a year of studies in London.

Upon his return, hundreds of Busoga people gathered at Entebbe International airport to welcome him back home.

Ugandan journalist Grace Matsiko told AFP that allowing the kyabazinga to step on them is a traditional act of deference among his subjects in Busoga.

“Busoga subjects do it for the love of their king,” Matsiko said.

The kyabazinga himself shared images of the celebration on Twitter here in 2015.

Screenshot taken on May 6, 2019 of a tweet by the kyabazinga, or traditional ruler, of Busonga in Uganda

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