Joseph Kibweteere facts for kids

Joseph Kibwetere (born 1932) was a leader of a group called the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God. This group started after breaking away from the Catholic Church in Uganda. It became well-known because a very sad event happened where many of its members died. Joseph Kibwetere was thought to have died in this event in March 2000. However, Ugandan police later looked for him and other leaders of the group. In 2014, police said there were reports that Kibwetere might be hiding in Malawi.

Joseph Kibwetere's Life Story

Many parts of Joseph Kibwetere's life, especially how he died, are not fully clear. We know he grew up in a very religious Catholic family. He was likely a wealthy person in Uganda. In 1980, he tried to become a politician. He owned enough land to give some away to build a school he designed himself. The Catholic school he started and led seemed normal, and at that time, people in the community thought highly of him. In 1960, he got married.

During his life, Uganda went through big changes in both religion and politics. These changes probably had a strong effect on him. One of the biggest influences might have been religious groups that focused on miracles and visions of the Virgin Mary. In 1984, Kibwetere said he was seeing visions of the Virgin Mary. He said these visions began after he met a woman named Credonia Mwerinde.

The Religious Group's Journey

Credonia Mwerinde had claimed to have special experiences even before she met Kibwetere. She said she could see the Virgin Mary when she looked at a special stone in the mountains. This stone looked a lot like pictures of the Virgin Mary. Her father had also claimed to have seen a vision of his daughter, Evangelista, who had passed away, as early as 1960. These experiences would later affect his children and grandchildren.

By 1989, Credonia and her sister, Ursula, were traveling around Uganda, sharing their family's religious messages. When Credonia met Joseph Kibwetere in the Kanungu District in western Uganda, he welcomed her. He also shared his own experiences with visions. This meeting led them to create the group known as the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God.

After Credonia's father died, Kibwetere became the official leader of the group. In the 1990s, the group strongly believed in the idea of the "end of the world," also known as apocalypticism. They wrote about this in their booklet called A Timely Message from Heaven: The End of the Present Time. Kibwetere led a special group of twelve people, six men and six women, whom they called the "new apostles." They had an equal number of women because they believed Mother Mary was very important in helping them reach heaven.

The group announced several dates when they believed the world would end. However, these dates came and went, and nothing happened. It was said that Kibwetere stated the year 2000 would be followed by "year 1 of the new world." These beliefs and claims did not have much impact on the rest of the world. For the most part, Kibwetere remained a less-known person in Uganda. His group also never officially separated from the Catholic Church.

The Tragic Event

In March 2000, the group began preparing for a special gathering. They bought large amounts of Coca-Cola. These actions did not cause alarm at first, but they were preparations for a big feast before a tragic event. On March 17, 2000, many members of the group died in a very sad incident at their compound. A member of Kibwetere's family later said that Credonia Mwerinde had greatly influenced Kibwetere's actions.

Many things about this story and the group are still not clear. At the time, Ugandan authorities considered Kibwetere to be someone who had escaped the event. The exact date and nature of the "end of the world" the group expected have been discussed. Some of their activities in 1999 seemed to support certain beliefs, but in their writings, the year 2000 was often called the "end year." The exact role and importance of Kibwetere in these events are also debated. Because of the difficult circumstances, clear answers to these and other questions may never be found.

See also

• List of people who disappeared