Ep. 19: The Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God

Hello and welcome to Crime on the Clarkfork, the true crime podcast that covers cases that happened in areas with populations of 15,000 or less. This month, Mackenzie tells you the case of the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God and the mass murders that occurred in Kunungu, Uganda in 2000.

Transcript

Hi and welcome back to Crime on the Clarkfork, the true crime podcast where I tell you about big crimes that happen in small places with each case having occurred in areas with populations of 15,000 or less. My name is Mackenzie Spence and I am your host. If you listen on Spotify, can you do me a huge favor and turn on automatic downloads? This will help the algorithm recommend the show to others! If you want to be notified every time an episode goes live, you are also able to click the little bell button on the shows page and it will send you a notification! 

The sources for this episode are: Wikipedia, City Facts, Patheos, Associated Press, University of Illinois, University of Pretoria, the BBC, abc News, The Washington Post, Britannica, The New York Times, Religioscope

Kunungu, Uganda. 2000. Population: 15,000.

On March 17, 2000, a mass murder occurred across southern Uganda. All of those who died were members of the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God (MRTC for short), which is a religious sect that was an offshoot of the Catholic Church. 

MRTC was founded in 1989 by Credonia Mwerinde and Joseph Kibweteere in Uganda. The pair claimed that they had seen visions of the Virgin Mary. In the recent past, Uganda has experienced the Ugandan Bush War, the AIDS pandemic, and other events that have caused devastation and destruction across the country. Due to this, many Ugandan residents began to feel bleak and depressed. Not to mention that the Roman Catholic Church was beginning to be clad in scandals, which further left devout catholics in Uganda to feel unsure and unimpressed with the church. With all of this happening, many post-Catholic groups began to form in the late 1980s. Due to the distrust and distaste with the Roman Catholic church, once devout catholics were turning to these groups and their charismatic, self-declared leaders. MRTC was one of these groups. 

While the MRTC was founded in 1989, the earliest origins of the sect can be traced back to 1960 with Credonia’s father, Paolo Kashaku. Paolo had claimed that he had a vision of his dead daughter, Evangelista. During this vision, Evangelista told him that he would one day have visions of heaven, which, in 1988, came true when Paolo saw the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, and Jesus Christ. Paolo’s daughter, Credonia, had also claimed to have had visions and was involved in a virgin cult prior to founding the MRTC. Prior to her time in the virgin cult, Credonia had worked as a shop keeper, a brewer of banana beer, and a prostitute. In 1989, Paolo told Credonia to spread her message across the country of Uganda, which he stated was instructed by the Virgin Mary. She took her father’s advice and, along with two other woman from the virgin cult, Ursula Komuhangi and Angela Mugisha, headed off. It was during this trip across Uganda that her father recommended, based on the Virgin Mary’s words, that she eventually met Joseph Kibweteere, a bipolar man, at a church service. She told him of her visions of the Virgin Mary that she had experienced in a cavern near his house in Rwashamaire, Uganda. She told Joseph that Mary had instructed her to take him in, which he believed because he claimed to have seen a vision of the Virgin Mary in 1984.

Joseph was a father to 16 children, all born from his wife of 40 years, Theresa. He was known as a devout catholic who was committed to doing good in his community. He was born in 1932 in the region of Kunungu and attended a catholic primary school, where he eventually returned as a teacher. He eventually became wealthy as he took a job as a supervisor for the Catholic schools in the region and eventually opened a catholic school himself. After this, he moved into politics and donated some of his land so two new catholic churches were able to be built. Unfortunately, after meeting Credonia and the two other women, Joseph began to drastically change from the man that his family and community knew. 

The MRTC is classified as an African-initiated church, which is a christian church that is started in Africa, by African people, rather than being started by missionaries that are from other continents. Credonia and Joseph, the founders of MRTC, claimed to have seen visions of the Virgin Mary, also known as Marian apparitions. Due to this, the MRTC had connections with others who claimed to have these visions, which were common in Uganda and surrounding countries during this time. On top of this, many of the leaders of the MRTC were Catholic clergyman. When Credonia and Joseph initially founded the MRTC, they were on a mission to spread the Virgin Mary’s communications about the upcoming apocalypse. When one of the members was asked why they left the traditional church to join the MRTC, they stated, "We joined the movement as a protest against the Catholic Church. We had good intentions. The church was backsliding, the priests were covered in scandals and the AIDS scourge was taking its toll on the faithful. The world seemed poised to end." The group grew rapidly with members, including many that were former catholic nuns and priests.

There was a hierarchy of leadership in the MRTC, with Credonia Mwerinde at the very top. The main belief of the MRTC is that one must obey the ten commandments and preach the word of Jesus. In order to ensure that someone wasn’t sent to hell, they had to strictly follow the ten commandments to the point that those who were in the group were discouraged from talking in fear of breaking the ninth commandment, “Thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” For some days, the only way the people in the group communicated with one another was through sign language rather than speaking out loud. On top of this, sex and soap were not allowed and on Mondays and Fridays, only one meal was allowed to be eaten. Each day, there were two sessions of prayer, one from 3am - am and another from 6pm - 10pm. Those in the MRTC believed that AIDS was a punishment from God because there were people who broke the sixth commandment, “thou shall not commit adultery.” The members wore matching outfits and lived on a self-sustaining commune in the Kanungu District of Uganda, where they ran their own schools, grew their own food, and mostly spent their days in silence as they communicated in sign. 

The sect was split into three groups, the newest members were required to wear black clothes, the next group were people who had promised to follow the ten commandments and they wore green clothing, and final group of people were those who stated they were willing to die in the ark and they were required to wear green and white clothing. When someone wanted to join the MRTC, they were required to read and be trained with the sect’s 163-page booklet, “A Timely Message from Heaven: The End of the Present Time.” New members were often required to read this text up to six times. This text taught of the MRTC’s beliefs, including that the Virgin Mary was going to be involved in the end of the world and that she had been communicating with the sect’s leadership about this. The members believed that they were in danger 24 hours a day and that they were being closely watched to see if they went against the MRTC in any way and if they did, the Virgin Mary would curse them. It was not uncommon for followers to be expected to hike through a nearby eucalyptus forest, often hanging onto tufts of grass or rocks to stay on the trail, to get to a rock that the MRTC believed to resemble the Virgin Mary. Finally, they believed that they were in likeness to Noah’s Ark, that they were a ship of righteousness in a sea of depravity.

I want to pause on the booklet for a second here to talk about what is said in it. While I cannot go into every thing that was said in the booklet, I can hit on some things that were written within the 16 parts of the text. It states that the only cure to the things that were happening in Uganda was to obey the Ten Commandments and that humanity itself was tempted away from them by Satan. It also spoke about how alcohol and sex were both under the control of Satan. Other things that were said to be satanic or under Satan's purview included witch doctors, cats, dogs, and full countries, including Mexico and France. The booklet made sure to mention that the MRTC was not a new religion, but rather a, “movement that endeavors to make the people aware of the fact that the Commandments of God have been abandoned, and it gives what should be done for their observance.'' The booklet talks about how great the founders, Credonia and Joseph, are. Each of them received a full chapter about the visions they experienced of the Virgin Mary and Jesus. These visions are then used to justify the sect’s bans on speaking, sex, short skirts, and makeup as well as its stance on fasting and work. Finally, when speaking about the end of the world, the booklet states that members who follow the Ten Commandments, about ¼ of the population, would go into an ark or ship at the end of the world and that ark or ship would bring them to the new earth. The new earth would be connected to heaven, so those that are in heaven are able to visit the people on the new earth. It also stated that Uganda would be the new Israel and would then be required to convert the rest of the world to the MRTC. Finally, on this new earth, there would be no death or hell to worry about.

Once a new member studied the booklet, only then were they allowed into the community, both physically and spiritually. Getting into the MRTC was not the only difficult thing to do. Those that wanted to get out of the community and leave the MRTC were often physically attacked and seen as traitors. Similarly, if someone began to stray from the expectations and norms of the MRTC, they would be disciplined in some way in an attempt to get them to repent for their sins. If they refused to repent, they were completely ostracized from the MRTC and any members that were in the MRTC. Even if someone would repent for their perceived sins, they would be commanded to recite the rosary 1,000 times, which sometimes required the help of friends and family members to finish the punishment. For many that left the sect, they complained of the harsh life that was required to be lived in the MRTC as well as mistreatment of children. Others were upset about the favoritism that was given to some members of the MRTC that were not required to do work such as cooking, cleaning, or fetching water. 

The sect began to grow in popularity when a man named Dominic Kataribabo joined. Dominic was a priest who many respected and was rather popular in Uganda. He held a Master’s degree in religious studies from LA’s Loyola Marymount University in the US, which gave him more credit and respect than other members of the MRTC. Due to the rapid growth, the leadership knew they needed more funding and land for the MRTC disciples. 

At this time, the MRTC and all the members were living on Joseph’s family farm. At first, Joseph’s wife, Theresa, and his children joined in on the activities of the MRTC, but then the members began to mistreat them, claiming that the Virgin Mary  told them that they had to keep food away from the family to punish them for their sins. This did not sit right with Teresa and her oldest children, so due to the rising tension between the members and Joseph’s family, Joseph sold his three other properties that he owned as well as his car and milling machines to purchase more land. During this time, one of Joseph’s old friends and Bishop, John Baptist Kakubi, ordered Joseph to desist as he was now seen as a sinner in the Catholic church. Joseph refused and continued his work with the MRTC. Luckily, the public call out by the bishop caused other community members to open their eyes to the reality of the danger that came with the MRTC and stopped them in their tracks. A local church-goer even said to the media that they were glad the bishop said something because, if he had not, she feared most of the congregation would have joined Joseph and the MRTC. Eventually, Joseph was excommunicated from the church after he questioned the leadership of the pope, which was the final straw for his hometown church.

On top of Joseph selling his land and automobiles, MRTC members were expected to pool their belongings and sell them when they joined the sect. This was especially worrisome for family members of those that joined the MRTC as many sold their land, which is incredibly important in Ugandan society. Land in Uganda is important for social stability, employment and family stability, which is why many family members opposed their loved ones joining the MRTC. This selling of land even led to a handful of court cases in an attempt to keep land ownership for the family to avoid the catastrophe that would result for the family from losing it. From this money, they were able to build houses and a primary school for members and in 1992, the MRTC was officially kicked out of Rwashamaire, Uganda by village elders, so they moved their property to Kanungu, where Credonia’s father offered them property for their commune to utilize. In October of 1993, the MRTC was kicked out of Kanungu by the villagers, but their leave did not last long before they moved back onto their commune. Also in 1993, the primary school was shut down due to a measles outbreak, but was then reopened. 

In 1994, one of the higher-ups in the MRTC, Paul, left and took around 70 members with him. This was not a large number to the MRTC though as by 1997, the membership was at nearly 5,000 people. When Paul left, he returned to the Catholic Church and spoke of his time in the MRTC. He stated that Credonia was the true power in the movement and that all meetings were chaired by her. Joseph was simply there to be a figurehead that imposed a masculine authority over the followers and to enhance the public relations with the community. In 1998, the MRTC was shut down due to their use of child labor, kidnapping of children, and unsanitary conditions, but was allowed to reopen by the government rather soon after being shut down. Finally, in 1999, a teenager who was a member of the MRTC was interviewed by a newspaper and he stated that, "The world ends next year. There is no time to waste. Some of our leaders talk directly to God. Any minute from now, when the end comes, every believer who will be at an as yet undisclosed spot will be saved."

After ten years, the leaders of the MRTC declared to their followers that the world was going to end on December 31, 1999, which was not a surprise to the followers as such a large emphasis was placed on the idea of the end times. They believed that all people in the world would be exterminated and they would be sent to heaven. Towards the end of 1999, the members of the MRTC began to become hysterical and the leadership of the sect told them they had to confess all of their sins so they could properly prepare for the end of the world. All belongings began to be sold for cheap, including cattle and clothing and all work in the fields stopped. The MRTC even went to previous members of the movement to rerecruit them for the end times. 

On January 1, 2000, when the end of the world did not come, the MRTC began to unravel with members beginning to ask questions to Joseph and Credonia as to why the world didn’t end as well as for their property and money back. Seeing the chaos that was ensuing with their followers, Joseph and Credonia informed the group that the true end was going to occur on March 17, 2000, stating the end of the world would come, “with ceremony and finality.”

When March 15, 2000 arrived, the MRTC hosted a huge party on the commune in Kanungu to celebrate the building of a new church. At this party, the members roasted three bulls to eat and drank up to 70 crates of soda, mostly Coca-Cola. On March 16th, the followers prayed all through the night and the following morning, on March 17, 2000, all followers at the commune met in the new church building and were then ushered to the old church building, which had been being used as a dining hall. This is where the members sang and chanted for several hours and where they were told that there would be three days of darkness prior to the start of the new earth. After all members arrived into the old church building, around 10:30am, an explosion was heard and the church was immediately engulfed in flames, killing all 530 people in attendance. It wasn’t until 12:45pm that the police station in Runkungiri, the police headquarters for the area, received a call about the fire. The call came from a police officer in Kambuga, which is the closest police station to Kanungu, who told the officers in Runkungiri that there had been a fire at the MRTC compound and that people had died. 

It is believed that the members of the MRTC were told that the Virgin Mary was going to appear to them to save them from the end of the world and that she was going to be clothed in flames. When the authorities arrived at the scene, they found that all of the doors and windows had been boarded up to ensure that no one would have been able to leave, but it did not seem as if there was a struggle as all the bodies were in the center of the building rather than near any exits. The bodies were so badly burned that some people were burnt to bones and others were left as ashes. No one was able to be positively identified and were all buried together in a mass grave right next to their church. A neighbor that lived near the commune stated that the fire caused everything in the area to be covered in soot, smoke, and the smell of burning flesh, which left many people who lived nearby unable to eat meat for several months. 

During the investigation, it was found that Dominic, the man with the master’s degree from the USA, had bought 50 liters of sulfuric acid just days before the mass murder, which is what is believed to have started the fire. Authorities were also perplexed as there was another party planned for March 18th, but it is believed that the party on the 18th was a way to mislead those not in the MRTC to their plans. On March 20, 2000, four days after the mass murder, Ugandan authorities began investigating other properties owned by the MRTC across southern Uganda. There were 6 bodies found sealed into the latrine of the Kanungu compound and 153 bodies were found in a mass grave at another compound in Buhunage. When looking into Dominic’s property in Rugazi, authorities found an additional 155 bodies in a mass grave in a sugarcane field, some of which were stabbed while others had cloth wrapped around their throats. 81 bodies were found at Joseph’s farm, 44 of which were children, having been murdered up to 3 weeks prior to the explosion at the Kanungu commune. Also found at Joseph’s home were documents about an Australian Doomsday group, the Marian Workers of Atonement, which authorities believe may have influenced the MRTC’s beliefs and practices, including the idea of speaking to the Virgin Mary. 

When searching the home of Dominic, 74 bodies were found in a mass grave in the yard and 28 bodies were found under a concrete floor in his house. Even still, bodies are continuing to be found over the years that are attributed to the MRTC with most of those who did not die in the fire, having been poisoned or strangled. It is believed that the people who were found at different properties belonging to the MRTC were those that began to doubt the leaders and were requesting their property and money back after the world didn’t end on December 31, 1999. They were most likely seen as traitors to the MRTC and were killed by poison or strangulation and murdered prior to the mass murder that occurred on March 17, 2000. Finally, when authorities were inspecting the rest of the MRTC property in Kanungu, they stumbled upon what appeared to be a dilapidated office building. When they investigated further, they found two more pits in the back of the building that had been used as torture chambers. On top of this, they also found more mass graves where dozens more bodies were found that had died over the past several years. 

Eleven years after the MRTC was founded, over 900 followers committed suicide or were murdered across Southern Uganda, with the official death toll settling at 924. The suspicion surrounding the reasoning behind the mass murder was that members of the sect began to question the leadership after the world didn’t end on December 31, 1999. Due to this, the leaders of the MRTC set a new date, March 17, 2000, to eliminate their followers. Many believe this theory due to the fact that bodies were found at sites other than the commune, the windows and doors were boarded up prior to the fire, and the purchase of the sulfuric acid just days before the explosion by a movement leader. Furthermore, the leadership of MRTC had never spoken of mass suicide with their followers as they spoke about the end of the world. Finally, even today, authorities have never been able to definitively say that Joseph, Credonia, or Dominic were killed that day, even though it was initially assumed. Ugandan police believe that Joseph and Credonia are still alive and have even put out an international warrant for their arrests. In 2014, the Ugandan police announced that reports had been made that Joseph was spotted in Malawi, but as of 2025, none of the leaders have been located and no one has been prosecuted for this mass murder. 

The day before the fire killed hundreds of MRTC followers, Joseph’s family received a package in the mail that contained books and other documents related to the MRTC as well as the certificate of registration and a copy of the Ten Commandments along with other items. Joseph’s family believes that he sent them these things so they would be able to carry on the message of the MRTC after he was gone, whether that meant he was dead or in hiding. 

Now, you may have noticed that I did not call the MRTC a cult, but rather a sect of Catholicism. This is because, according to a paper by P M Venter from the University of Pretoria, many researchers warn against using the western models of cultism when speaking of African-initiated churches or situations that are unique to Africa. With that being said, there are many indicators of the western ideas of cultism that the MRTC holds. According to Venter, there are four main psychological characteristics that may point to a group or society being a cult. The first is closed-mindedness, the second is genuine antagonism on a personal level, the third is discrimination and intolerance for any position other than their own, and the fourth is isolation. 

Each of these can be seen with the MRTC. They showed closed mindedness and intolerance of other positions in the fact that they believed that they held the one and only truth to survive and be saved at the end of the world, that the Ten Commandments needed to be followed as closely as possible, and those that do not follow this were going to be sent to hell or were being controlled by Satan. They created an isolated commune that was both hard to get into, but also hard to get out of. They also had animosity towards those that left or tried to leave the MRTC, at times even attacking them physically. Another characteristic of the sect that closely relates to many cults is that the MRTC was led by a single, charismatic leader who claimed to have revelations and declared themselves a prophet. With all of this being said, I would consider MRTC a cult in the western sense of the word, but I also want to appreciate that researchers and experts that study African-initiated churches err against using the term, which is why I wanted to bring it up here at the end. 

We will never know the full truth of the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God or who all died that day. Today, the 48 acre commune in Kanungu has been incorporated into a tea plantation and the owner has shared that they are planning on creating a memorial on the property to remember the hundreds of people who were killed on the property. 

And that is the end of this case. As always, please give me 5-stars on Spotify and Apple Podcasts as well as a review on Apple Podcasts. I am always looking for cases to cover, so if you have a case suggestion, please visit the link in the show’s instagram page, @CrimeontheClarkfork. I also post pictures from the cases I cover on my instagram page, so go give that a quick follow and let me know what your thoughts are on the case in the comments on instagram. Do you think Joseph, Dominic, and Credonia fled Uganda and lived the rest of their lives in hiding? I hope you enjoyed this episode and I will catch you next time with more big crime in small places.