Kanungu Masaacre: What the investigation uncovered

March 17, 2025, marked 25 years since the Kanungu inferno which claimed over 1,000 followers of the Movement for the Restoration of 10 Commandments. It was led by Joseph Kibwetere, a former catechist and his two associates, Fr Dominic Kataribabo and Sr Credonia Mwerinde. We trace the investigations that followed and how they were concluded.

Tumwizere, the officer in charge of Kanungu Police and a workmate in June 2000 said the Police received a report of the inferno at about 11:15am, but the fire had broken out at about 10:30am.

They added that a woman from Tooro had been at the site when the fire broke out.

As to who started the fire, their speculation was that it was “Robert” Kagangura (the farm manager).

The Police of Kanungu later said the rear door was free and not bolted at all.

The presumption is that the main front door was bolted from outside. They pointed out that Kagangura was active the previous night distributing documents. He was said to have brought various certificates to the Police at midnight, including: Certificate of Registration of their organisation (in triplicate- 1993, 1995, 1997), land title of Karengye, certificate of registration of their school, big black book, Paul Kashaku’s Will and other information, two textbooks (one in English and the other in Runyankole- Rukiga.

The two books contained what were allegedly messages from heaven. It was mentioned that these documents had all along been kept by the office of the assistant district commissioner, the Rev. Mutazindwa Amooti.

They went on to say when Kagangura delivered the documents at the Police station, he informed them they were planning to buy a generator to pump water and a Fusso lorry.

The two cops said there was no talking at the camp among the members of the cult.

It was further revealed that six policemen of a mobile unit had also died there. One of them was Robert Bikorwomuhangi, born in Nyakishenyi, who had been attached to Naguru Police post. The other was Frank Byamugisha of Kihiihi, who had deserted the Police and the cult had given him the position of transport manager.

Conflict over numbers

From March 18, 2000 to date, there have been conflicting figures about the number of people who died in the inferno, with various reports putting it at between 500 and 1,000.

Most accounts indicate that about 450 people perished in the fire, while the rest of the bodies (550) were found buried in mass graves in different sites.

Human Rights Commission

The Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) and Makerere University’s department of religious studies did separate investigations into what could have happened, but these researchers also came up with conflicting findings.

For instance, quoting the UHRC report, New Vision on May 28, 2002, published a story which put the number of people who died at between 500 and 700, but witnesses put it at more than 1,000.

UHRC investigations showed that half of the victims were set ablaze inside the church, while other bodies were found buried in mass graves in various parts of the country where the church had branches.

The cult had branches in Rutooma, Rubirizi, Rugazi, Kyaka, Kabarole and Buziga in Kampala.

At Buziga, a Kampala suburb within Makindye division, the report said over 55 bodies were discovered on April 27, 2000.

Earlier in the month of March (between March 25 and 30, 2000), 81 bodies were found at Rushojwa in Rukungiri, 153 were found in Rutooma and 155 were found at Rugazi in Bushenyi district.

UHRC findings

Initially, it was thought to be mass suicide, but later, an inquiry by UHRC established that it was a well-planned murder.

On May 28, 2002, New Vision published a story in which the UHRC report revealed that the cult was led by Mwerinde and not Kibwetere, as most people thought.

The report that was launched on May 27, 2002 by the then UHRC chairperson, Margaret Ssekajja, at Hotel Africana, said children kidnapped from Kampala were found in camps of the cult.

Then commissioner, Constantine Karusoke, who led investigations into the cult activities, said Kibwetere was recruited into the cult by Mwerinde and used as a “flag” because of his wealth and high profile in society.

Kibwetere had been a Democratic Party mobiliser before joining the cult.

“The head of the cult was not Kibwetere, as most of us were made to believe,” Karusoke said, adding: “It was Mwerinde who led the cult. She was the one who recruited Kibwetere and other cult leaders and even had control over them.”

Karusoke said some government officials were negligent on the cult’s activities.

“Some far sighted leaders, such as former Rukungiri resident district commissioner Yorokamu Kamacerere, had advised against the registration of the cult and even warned his successor.

The 84-page report recommended that the then RDC, Kitaka Gawera, be investigated to establish the circumstances that led to his fraternising with the cult leaders.

However, Police exonerated Gawera, saying he duly executed his duties.

“Police is not aware of allegations that the RDC was cautioned by his predecessor and NGO registration board against the registration of the cult,” Victor Aisu, an assistant commissioner of Police said in 2012.

However, even with the UHRC inquiry, some questions remain unanswered to date, as no explanation was given by the concerned authorities to the researchers about the incident.

The Government proposed commission of inquiry on the incident never kicked off and there is no information on government’s response to the recommendations of the UHRC report.

Besides Kibwetere, the whereabouts of his co-cult leaders remain unknown and no further investigations were made.

The UHRC report said on March 16, 2000 at about midnight, one of the cult followers handed over some sect documents for safe custody to Kanungu Police post.

There is contradicting information obtained from other sources. However, according to Innocent Byaruhanga, one of the survivors, Kibwetere left Kanungu two days before the fateful day, while other cult leaders left hours to the inferno.

Since Kibwetere has never showed up since the inferno, a detective noted that he is considered deceased.

Were members foreigners?

Some people said most of the dead cult members were from neighbouring countries, probably Rwanda and DR Congo. The Police, however, confirmed that many of the dead were claimed by relatives from different parts of Uganda.

It was also reported that a one Goretti Mitima petitioned UHRC in 1998 over the cult and its operations, but she was ignored.

Kibwetere’s son

Although many believe Kibwetere and his fellow cult leaders fled the country, Kibwetere’s son, Jevenal Rugambwa, opined otherwise.

In a statement taken from Rugambwa by detectives in late 2000, he said they identified a burnt body which had a ring like the one his father used to wear and that a piece of cassock left around the body resembled his father’s.

Rugambwa informed Police that he saw the usual clerical garb and shape of the head, which he believed was his father’s.

However, Police said all bodies were examined at once and that releasing the results could jeopardise investigations.

According to the Police, the cult leaders may have perished with the followers, but investigations have not been closed since their bodies have not been found.

Ragambwa said towards the tragedy, Kibwetere sent to their mother a suitcase full of prayer literature and letter encouraging her to carry on with the religion because they were going to perish.

He also said Kibwetere had not set foot at their home in Kajara, Ntungamo district since 1997.

“We last heard of him in 1997 when he sent a condolence message following the death of our sister Bennet. Since then, he had never communicated.

He did not even send a condolence messages, when we lost two sisters in one week in June 1999,” he told New Vision on March, 20, 2000.

Status of the police file

Most of the senior detectives who handled the investigations or those who were privy to the probe at the time, have since retired, while others have died.

In the absence of the suspects to be interrogated and now with the demise of detectives with institutional memory about the case, will the matter ever be resolved or it will forever remain a mystery? The Police, however, says the file in this matter is still open, in case any of the suspects in the murder is found.