Uganda, 2000

The Movement for The Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God, was a religious cult situated in the small trading center Kanunga, on the outskirts of the capital of Uganda. On the 17th of March 2000, the group allegedly committed suicide by setting their small church on fire and barricading themselves inside. There is not a lot of solid information on the group and its end, since the movement was undocumented and the country too poor to have adequate forensic resources.

The burned church, with the mass of of charred bodies.

There are some scraps of information however. The group associated predominantly with Roman Catholicism, but they recognised that its practices were in need of reform. The group was associated with visions of the Virgin Mary; Joseph Kibwetere, one of the leaders of the group, was known as "The Prophet", he had a vision of the Virgin Mary in 1998 and was hospitalised that very same year with a mental disorder. Credonia Mwerinde, another leader (and an ex - prostitute) was also credited with seeing visions.

Credonia Mwerinde

The group was apocalyptic, and believed that the world would end on the 31st December 1999. The 1st of January 2000, would be the "Day of the New Earth", and the Virgin Mary would appear with a new message. The world did not end on the predicted date; Credonia claimed that the Virgin Mary would now appear between 6th - 18th of March, hence the reason why the group committed suicide on the 17th.

The members had to follow very strict rules, including no soap, no medical care and they had to fast on a Monday and Friday. The group were not allowed to communicate much either, as a way of preventing people from lying.

There is a lot of confusion about the groups activities and their end. Some of the villagers who lived near by, claimed that the leader Fr Dominic Kataribaabo coaxed his followers into the church and then set it on fire. Others claim that the group doused themselves in petrol and paraffin before setting themselves on fire. Its still not clear how many died though its estimated that 530 were burnt alive, and over 1,000 bodies were discovered later in various locations.

Many of the bodies which were discovered had been murdered by poison, or had been strangled. This sheds a different light on the cult, it depicts them as having a murderous intent, something I have not yet come across with other cults. Its not clear what the groups motive was in killing all those people, and I guess we will never know.

Natalie Watkins - 0604967