Miss Shanitah, who won the crown of Miss East Africa 2021, is deeply saddened by the loss of her sister, Cherissa Tona Uwanjye, who was a singer of the group Healing Worship Ministry, popular in various Gospel songs including "Mwami Icyo Wavuze" and others.
The President of Healing Worship Ministry formerly known as Healing Worship Team, Budete Muhoza Kibonke told the media that they got the news of the death of Cherissa Tona at around 11:00 pm this Sunday, November 3, 2024.
She said, "She was singing at the Healing Ministry. We got the news around 11:00 pm.
Budete Kibonke Muhoza said that for the past five years Cherissa was a singer of the Healing Worship Ministry, and they did many things together, and that most of the time she devoted herself to her studies and singing in the choir as a singer who wanted to get closer to Christ.
He said, "She was a good singer who wanted to know God, but she was too busy with her studies. She also finished her studies a few days ago. But we are really saddened by her sudden death."
He said why Cherissa joined the Healing Worship Ministry saying: ’It was because her family prayed in Power of Prayer, we lived together in the church. She came as a child of a mother in the church, like all the other parents we worshiped together, who want their children to come to the ministry. That’s how she came in."
Sources say that on Friday, November 1, 2024, Cherissa celebrated her birthday, and her friends continued to help her celebrate until this Sunday, November 3, 2024, when she went out with her friends.
While she was with her friends, she kept telling them that she wants to join choir that night, while she was getting ready to go, she went in toilet first.
However, her friends continued to notice that she was spending much time in the toilet, and began to wonder what had happened, and they went there to find where she was, and realized that she was dead.
Cherissa had recently completed her studies at the African Leadership University. On July 15, 2024, using her Instagram account, she had expressed her happiness at achieving two ’Bachelor’s Degrees’ and one ’Master’s’.
Cherissa Tona [Third from left] with her siblings and mother, as she announced her graduation from African Leadership University- Miss Shanitah Umunyana [First right]
Cherissa Tona was a former singer of Healing Worship Ministry, and during her five-year stint as an evangelist
Healing Worship Ministry described Cherrissa as a singer who contributed to the group’s expansion
