Navas Vella, who claims to be “Jesus” in Luwero district, has been remanded to Buntuntumula prison after refusing to participate in the ongoing National Population and Housing Census 2024.
Appearing before a magistrate court in Wobulenzi town council on Wednesday, Navas pleaded guilty to obstructing the execution of lawful duty, as stipulated by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) Act.
Navas, known as the King of Star Glopper Eden Church, along with his follower El Shadai Gracy, refused to be counted by census enumerators, prompting intervention by the authorities. Despite pleas from enumerators, Navas went into hiding, claiming that as the Son of God, he was already accounted for by his heavenly Father.
Navas and his followers expressed their disbelief in the census exercise and reportedly reject all government programs, including the National ID enrollment. This resistance prompted Kikonyogo to involve the police, leading to the arrest of Navas and Gracy.
At the Wobulenzi Police Station, Navas asserted his divine identity, claiming to be the Son of God and asserting that he is already accounted for by his heavenly Father. He warned officers against taking action against “the Son of God” and questioned their authority to detain him.
In a similar incident in 2016, Solomon Semakula Jonathan, who also claimed to be “Jesus Christ” from Nakaseke district, faced legal charges for discouraging his followers from seeking medical treatment and participating in government programs.
The resistance to the census extends beyond Navas’s case. In Kamira sub-county, over 100 families associated with the Enjiri cult have also refused to participate, associating the exercise with satanic influences.
Those who resist or sabotage the National Census can face up to six months in jail or a fine of Shs600,000 under the UBOS Act.
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