A Christian known for evangelizing to Muslims murdered in Uganda.

NAIROBI, Kenya — Muslim extremists this month killed a Christian who was influential in leading Muslims to Christ in eastern Uganda, sources said.

Engineer Herbert of Sironko District was stabbed to death in the Namakwekwe area of northern Mbale town on the night of April 8 while on his way home from work in the city where he had established a business supported his evangelization of Muslims, area Christians said. He was 42.

“Herbert was very effective in evangelistic activities,” an area pastor told Morning Star News. “He helped many evangelists reach Muslim communities in Nkoma, Nakaloke, Busajabwankuba, Nauyo, Kabwangasi, and many parts of Mbale city and outside the city. However, his acts of supporting and helping preachers were seen in Muslim circles as many misleading Muslims who left Islam and joined Christianity, especially young men, and women.”

The pastor and an area Christian, also unnamed for security reasons, found Herbert’s body at 9 a.m. local time on April 9.

“The pastor and I were able to recognize the man,” said the Christian, who had encountered Muslims attacking Herbert the previous night. “He was lying in a pool of blood with deep cuts on his head, back, and hands.”

The Christian had left Mbale town the night of April 8 but returned for fuel when he saw a group of Muslims in Namakwekwe cell, in the northern division of Mbale, he said.

“I switched on the full lights of my car and saw about five men beside the roadside dressed in Islamic capes and tunic clothes, hitting a man who made a loud alarm asking for help, but I feared for my life as one of the attackers was shouting to him about damaging the Islamic religion,” he said.

He sped away, terrified, and upon reaching Mbale, informed the police, he said.

“Police requested me to take them to the site where the incident occurred the following morning,” he told Morning Star News, adding that he was initially reluctant out of fear of Muslims harming him as a Christian eyewitness to the crime, but that police gave him assurances. “Later, I agreed and decided to inform one of the pastors in Mbale town.”

The pastor, who accompanied him to the crime site the following day, said Herbert had helped him and other church leaders.

“The late Herbert personally helped me, and indeed he had been a wonderful, gifted evangelist, as well as offering financial support toward the expansion of the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ,” he said tearfully. “As the Body of Christ, we have lost a devoted servant of Christ.”

Police took the body for postmortem and have begun investigating.

The assault was the latest of many instances of persecution of Christians in Uganda that Morning Star News has documented.

Uganda’s constitution and other laws provide for religious freedom, including the right to propagate one’s faith and convert from one religion to another. However, Muslims make up no more than 12% of Uganda’s population, with high concentrations in eastern areas of the country.