Just In!! PLU Suspends Frank Gashumba After Shs500 Million Challenge to Pastors Claiming Miracles

The Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) has suspended outspoken commentator Frank Gashumba with immediate effect following his controversial remarks about Balokole and Pentecostal churches, escalating a heated dispute over alleged fake miracles and religious accountability. The suspension comes after Gashumba challenged pastors who claim to perform miraculous healings to prove their powers in hospitals, offering Shs500 million to anyone who could demonstrate such healing.

The decision was communicated in a letter dated October 19, 2026, signed by PLU National Vice Chairman Michael Kaguta Toyota. According to the letter, the organisation had received numerous complaints regarding Gashumba’s statements about religious communities. The PLU said the concerns would be investigated through its internal disciplinary procedures, placing the commentator’s relationship with the organisation under scrutiny.

The controversy erupted after Gashumba questioned pastors who claim to heal serious illnesses, including cancer and HIV, through prayer. He challenged them to visit Mulago National Referral Hospital, Nsambya Hospital or Mengo Hospital and demonstrate their healing abilities on critically ill patients. He initially offered Shs200 million before increasing the amount to Shs500 million, insisting that genuine miracles should be demonstrated in circumstances that the public could independently observe.

Gashumba argued that some religious leaders take advantage of vulnerable believers by promising miracles while demanding money from people struggling financially. He maintained that the funds collected from such believers could instead help families pay school fees, purchase food and meet other essential needs. He also questioned the process through which some individuals establish churches and claim extraordinary spiritual powers, contrasting it with the formal training undertaken by Catholic priests.

Despite the backlash, Gashumba insisted that his criticism targeted individuals he considers fake pastors rather than Christianity or God. His remarks, however, drew a strong response from Miracle Centre Cathedral lead pastor Robert Kayanja, who rejected suggestions that miracles associated with his ministry were fraudulent. Other religious leaders also criticised Gashumba’s challenge, arguing that spiritual beliefs and religious practices should not be judged through a public contest involving money.

The dispute took another turn when Gashumba’s daughter, Sheila Gashumba, came to her father’s defence during an exchange involving Robert Kayanja Jr. She argued that questioning alleged fraudulent miracles, financial demands on struggling believers and accountability within churches should not automatically be treated as an attack on Christianity. Her intervention added another dimension to the disagreement, which has attracted attention beyond the religious leaders directly involved.

PLU president General Muhoozi Kainerugaba also distanced the organisation from Gashumba’s attacks on pastors and called on him to apologise to Christians. The organisation subsequently emphasised the importance of respecting religious freedom, peaceful coexistence and the contribution of religious institutions to moral guidance, community welfare and social harmony. Its position indicated that Gashumba’s remarks had raised concerns extending beyond his personal disagreement with particular pastors.

In the suspension letter, Toyota confirmed that a formal investigation had been requested and directed Gashumba to cooperate with the relevant authorities as the disciplinary process continues. The suspension now places his standing within the PLU in question as debate grows over the balance between freedom to criticise religious leaders and the responsibility to respect the beliefs of others. Meanwhile, Gashumba’s Shs500 million challenge has kept the spotlight on allegations of fake miracles, financial accountability in churches and the standards by which claims of miraculous healing should be examined.