Today’s villainess is Credonia Mwerinde (1952-present), Ugandan cult leader who is suspected of brutally killing hundreds of her followers.
Today’s villainess is Credonia Mwerinde (1952-present), Ugandan cult leader who is suspected of brutally killing hundreds of her followers.
In honor of the spookiest month, we’re revisiting our favorite Womanica episodes featuring villains, troublemakers, magic, and mystery all October. Join host Jenny Kaplan — with a few special introductions — as she takes you back in time, highlighting women like Sadie the Goat, Marie Laveau, Patricia Krenwinkel and more who were ruthless, vengeful, and mystical. The riveting stories of these women are sure to keep you up at night.
History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.
Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.
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Before we get started, just a warning that this episode contains some mentions of suicide.
Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I’m Sara Schleede, a production assistant here at WMN. I’m so excited to be introducing this “best of” episode of Womanica.
This episode was originally part of our August 2019 theme, “Villainesses.”
Today’s Womanican had a very special relationship with the divine. She co-founded a religious apocalyptic cult, which culminated in mass death.
This episode ends on an air of mystery, so you’re in for a real treat.
Now here’s host Jenny Kaplan to talk about Credonia Mwerinde
Credonia Mwerinde was born in 1952 in Uganda. She came from a family of people who claimed a special connection to the divine.
Credonia eventually became the high priestess and co-founder of the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God. But the movement started with Credonia’s father, Paulo Kashuku.
The story goes that in 1960, Paulo saw a vision of his dead daughter, Evangelista, who told him he would see divine visions. Nearly 2 decades later, in 1988, Paulo says the premonition came to fruition when he was visited by Jesus, the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph. The trio supposedly blessed his family and called him to use his land as a gathering place for believers.
A year later, in 1989, Credonia and her daughter, Ursula, said they were instructed by the Virgin Mary to take the divine message received by Paulo across the country. It’s important to note that Uganda has a big Roman Catholic population as well as a tradition of Marian apparitions or visionaries.
While they were traveling the country, Credonia and Ursula met a man by the name of Joseph Kibwetere. Joseph was described by the New York Times as a Roman Catholic known for his piety, prayer and good works. He founded a Catholic school and was the supervisor for several other schools in the region. He also supposedly had visions of the Virgin Mary and therefore immediately welcomed Credonia into his home.
Credonia moved into Joseph’s home and said her visions had told her that’s where the movement should be based. Credonia and Joseph also teamed up with an excommunicated priest named Dominic Kataribaabo.
Thus was born the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God. Its rituals were similar to those of the Roman Catholic church in Uganda. Members took communion and held similar services. The big differences were the Movement’s emphasis on moral standards and its apocalyptic beliefs. Credonia was the source of the cult’s predictions, which stemmed from her supposedly holy visions. She announced that the apocalypse would come with the millennium.
The Movement had between 1,000 and 4,000 members at its height. It eventually moved locations to an estate owned by Credonia’s father. As membership grew, so did the organization’s wealth. Many believers sold their belongings and joined the cult, particularly as the year 2000 approached.
And then it happened. The year 2000. Spoiler alert, the world didn’t end. Members of the Movement started asking questions and some demanded their property and funds be returned.
After a few months of disarray, members of the cult were told to fixate on another date, March 17. Devoted followers traveled the country dispensing invites to current and former cult members, urging them to return to the compound by the 17th. One nun supposedly told people that the Virgin Mary was to appear that day. The group slaughtered cattle and purchased a bunch of Coca-Cola. One of the cult leaders bought 13 gallons of sulfuric acid from a shopkeeper in town.
On March 15th, members of the Movement ate the beef and drank the Coke they purchased in celebration of building a new church building. They spent much of the following night, the 16th praying in the new building.
Then on the morning of March 17th, they went to the old church building. The windows were boarded up and the doors locked. At 10:30am, nearby villagers heard an explosion. Fire consumed the building and killed all those inside.
An estimated 340 people died in that fire. Hundreds of other bodies were found in mass graves at Movement properties across southwestern Uganda. Police investigators initially believed the fire was a mass suicide before indicating it was a mass murder.
Investigations shows that the mass graves across the country were dug over the course of a year, and perhaps longer. In each mass grave, there was evidence of murders by multiple means.
The running theory was that after the failed apocalyptic prophecy, leaders of the Movement decided to kill their followers and then escaped.
Credonia Mwerinde is believed to have survived the church fire and mass murder. Ugandan authorities think she left the sect’s headquarters early on March 17. The following month, they issued an international warrant for her arrest in connection to the murders. She’s never been caught.
We’re taking a break for the weekend, but join us again on Monday for another of our favorite episodes featuring villainy, magic, and mystery.
Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator.
Talk to you Monday!