Da Dona
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- Dec 16, 2025
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A 76-year-old traditional healer in Tororo District has reportedly abandoned his shrines and embraced Christianity following what he describes as a divine encounter during a storm.
Joseph Opendi, a resident of Paloto Village in Magola Sub-county, says he spent more than four decades practising traditional healing and ancestral rituals, and was regarded by some community members as a powerful spiritual practitioner.
Opendi says his life changed on the night of Sunday, August 17, 2026, when he claims he saw a bright light and heard a voice telling him to abandon his idols and turn to the living God.
According to Opendi, the experience frightened him and prompted him to kneel down and pray his first Christian prayer.
“I served demons for years,” Opendi said during a divine healing and salvation outreach organised by Pentecostal Outreach Ministries International Church in Tororo, where he now worships.
He further claims that he saw Jesus in a vision, an experience that convinced him that the spiritual practices he had relied on for years were not the source of the power he believed they possessed.
Following the reported encounter, Opendi agreed to have his main shrine dismantled and several ritual objects destroyed. He also publicly declared his faith in Christianity and has since been baptised.
Opendi says he now intends to use his experience to help people who want to abandon occult practices and embrace Christianity.
“I used to pray for clients seeking wealth, victory in court cases, power and even the ability to harm their enemies. Now my prayers are for people to find Jesus Christ and peace of mind,” he said.
He acknowledged that some of his former clients are struggling to understand his transformation after years of seeking his services.
Dr Girado Olukol, a senior member of Pentecostal Outreach Ministries International Church in Tororo, who presided over Opendi’s salvation revival, welcomed the decision and urged him to remain committed to his new Christian faith.
“We welcome our brother Joseph. This is the work of God. We ask the church to support him as he adjusts to his new life and leaves behind his former practices,” Dr Olukol said.
The transformation has attracted attention among residents of Paloto “B”, with neighbours and some of Opendi’s former clients expressing surprise at the elderly traditional healer’s decision to abandon his shrines and publicly embrace Christianity.
While Opendi’s account of the spiritual encounter is based on his personal testimony, his decision marks a significant change after more than four decades of involvement in traditional spiritual practices.
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