Pastor Augustine Iga of the Revival Church in Rubaga has been arrested for false utterances and passing harmful propaganda relating to the Coronavirus.

In a statement released by the Uganda Police, Pastor Iga is suspected to have said that COVID-19 is not in Uganda. This, according to the security institution, is uttered in a video branded by a local television broadcaster.

“The video that went viral undermines government efforts in fighting the COVID 19 pandemic and exposes the public to dangers of laxity in observing the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health,” the Police statement signed by SP Patrick Onyango.

Over the past couple of days, the Ministry of Health, through press statements and conferences, has been fighting fake news related to the COVID-19 pandemic in Uganda.

Police is now in the process of investigating Pastor Iga’s statements in a bid to find the motive behind them.

“The action of Pastor Iga promotes the spread of the COVID 19 and can therefore be considered as a direct attack on the people of the Republic of Uganda,” the police statement reads.

Pastor Iga is currently being held at the Old Kampala Police station.