MWERINDE, Credonia

Credonia Mwerinde co-founded the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God in southwestern Uganda during the early 1990s, leading a Catholic splinter group that proclaimed the imminent end of the world. A former bar owner and traditional healer, Mwerinde claimed to receive visions from the Virgin Mary commanding the establishment of a purified Christian community in preparation for divine judgment.

Mwerinde partnered with defrocked priest Joseph Kibweteere to establish the movement's headquarters near Kanungu, attracting hundreds of followers with promises of salvation through strict adherence to biblical commandments. The group imposed severe restrictions on members, including vows of silence, communal property, and separation from outside family members.

The movement generated significant revenue through member donations and the forced sale of followers' assets, with Mwerinde maintaining financial control alongside Kibweteere's spiritual leadership. Internal documents later revealed extensive planning for the group's ultimate demise, including advance purchase of large quantities of fuel and explosive materials.

On March 17, 2000, over 700 movement members perished in a fire at the group's main church building in Kanungu. Investigations revealed the building had been boarded up from the outside and accelerants used to ensure complete destruction. Subsequent discoveries of mass graves containing additional victims suggested systematic murder rather than mass suicide.

Mwerinde disappeared before the March 2000 tragedy and was never apprehended by Ugandan authorities. Her fate remains unknown, with some reports placing her in various African countries or claiming she died in the Kanungu fire. The case highlighted the vulnerability of poverty-stricken populations to apocalyptic movements and the need for closer monitoring of religious extremist groups.