A daughter to troubled Pentecostal pastor Charles Murenzi who had gone missing a fortnight ago has returned from Uganda. Sixteen-year-old Annet Mutesi, who claims to have escaped because Murenzi was mistreating her, resurfaced Friday and reported to the Ugandan Embassy in Kigali. Murenzi is being investigated in connection with rape allegations.On Monday, Mutesi went to Nyarugenge prosecution and recorded a statement. Nyarugenge prosecutor, Richard Muhumuza confirmed the development when contacted. He said: “The case is with us and we are still investigating the matter.” On Sunday, Police Spokesman, Willy Marcel Higiro, said that Murenzi’s “file must have been forwarded to Nyarugenge prosecution.”But Muhumuza said the file was not yet in their hands. Mutesi escaped from her father’s home in Gakinjiro, a Kigali city suburb, alleging mistreatment. But her disappearance has since caused trouble to her friends. Days after she went missing, police arrested her friend, Harriet Namusoke, a first year student at Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (Kist). Namusoke has so far been arrested twice in barely a fortnight over the matter.She was temporarily released on Monday and is due to re-appear at the prosecution’s office today as investigations continue. Namusoke is accused of having aided Mutesi to escape, a claim she vehemently denies. She instead claims that she is witch-hunted by Pastor Murenzi because of some past misunderstandings between him and former members of the church.“The only thing I can tell you is that what Pastor Murenzi says is not true. The child escaped because she claims the parents were torturing her,” Namusoke said. She threatened to spill the beans on accusations of defilement and rape against Murenzi by some church members.Pastor Murenzi deputises his wife Jolly who is the senior pastor of Shining Light Church in Gakinjiro. Namusoke is one of the youths that broke away from the church following misunderstandings. Last month, an 18-year-old girl and former member of the same church walked to Criminal Investigation Directorate (CID) and alleged that Murenzi had sexually harassed her when his wife was away. She also claimed Namusoke was one of Murenzi’s victims before the girls decided to quit his church.Commenting on the matter last month, Commissioner General of Police Andrew Rwigamba said investigations would be carried out to authenticate the sexual harassment claims. Pastor Murenzi declined to speak to journalists since then, but his wife claims the allegations against her husband are baseless.Ends
