THE REPUBLIC OF UGANDA

REPORT OF THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE ON DEFENCE AND

INTERNAL AFFAIRS ON THE PETITION BY THE ORPHANS OF THE
VICTIMS OF THE KANUNGU CHURCH INFERNOS
JULY 2014
1
2
1.0 Introduction:
On Tuesday 4
th
September 2012, a petition premised on rule 29 of the
Rules of Procedure was presented before this ouse by on! "r!
#aryomunsi $hris %&R', (in)i*i $ounty +ast, on behalf of the orphans
of the -ictims of the infamous inferno at the $hurch of the 'o-ement
for the Restoration of the Ten $ommandments %$'RT$, in (anun.u of
1/
th
'arch 2000!
This petition was duly referred to the Parliamentary $ommittee on
"efence and 0nternal 12airs for consideration and the $ommittee
hereby reports!
2.0 Background
On 'arch 1/
th
2000, a tra.ic 3re bro)e out at the premises of the
church of the 'o-ement for the Restoration of the 10 $ommandments
of 4od at &yabu.oto in (anun.u district claimin. an estimated 500
people! This $hurch is said to ha-e been led by a one 6oseph
(ibwetere! 7urther in-esti.ations prompted by this inferno unearthed
hundreds of other cases of cult related deaths e8empli3ed by .ra-es in
#ushenyi and (ampala districts brin.in. the cumulati-e death toll to
about 1000!
Se-en months later on "ecember 2
nd
, 2000, the 4o-ernment of
9.anda instituted a se-en:member 6udicial $ommission of 0n;uiry led
by 6ustice 1u.ustus (ania to in-esti.ate the 'arch 1/
th
, 2000 inferno!
The other 'embers of the $ommission included< "r! +milio #!=! O-u.a,
Prof! Peter 'ato-u, and Re-! $anon 'u.arura 'utana, then $haplain of
St! 7rancis $hapel at 'a)erere 9ni-ersity, Re-! 7r! "r! =awrence
=u.olobi Ssemusu, then $haplain of 9.anda 'artyrs 9ni-ersity &)o*i,
"r! 'ar.aret 'un.herera %then $hairperson, 9.anda 'edical
1ssociation,, $hristopher &do*ireho %a lawyer,, and one Sara3yano
#i.irwen)ya!
1t the pronouncement of the $ommission of 0n;uiry, 4en! 'oses 1li,
the then Second "eputy Prime 'inister and 'inister of 0nternal 12airs
informed the public that< the ob>ecti-es of this in;uest were< to de3ne
a cult, establish what happened at (anun.u, and re-eal the
perpetrators of the murders, to establish if there was any la8ity on the
?
part of any .o-ernment department @that could ha-e led to the
tra.edyA, and recommend ways of a-oidin. future recurrences, to
ascertain if there were similar .roups still operatin. in the country and
recommend ways of dealin. with them! The >udicial commission of
0n;uiry was to submit its 3ndin.s to its appointin. authority within si8
months!

owe-er todate, the public awaits the outcome of this 6udicial
$ommission of 0n;uiry with speculation rife that this $ommission of
in;uiry ne-er e-er attained its set ob>ecti-es as hitherto enumerated!
1s will later be discussed in this report, the $ommittee did not 3nd any
e-eidence of any wor) by the said >udicial commission of in;uiry!
1-ailable information indicates that those who >oined the 'embership
of this ill:fated $hurch, many of whom perished in the aforementioned
inferno, were either inBuenced by the $hurch authorities to sell o2
their personal property and hand o-er the proceeds there:from to the
church leadership alle.edly in preparation for the end of the world or
-oluntarily did so! a-in. perished in the inferno, the said $hurch
followers are said to ha-e left behind no property at all for their
sur-i-in. family members! The petitioners claim to be part of the
sur-i-in. family 'embers of some of the -ictims of the inferno!
a-in. alle.edly attempted to see) help, albeit in -ain, from -arious
public oCces includin., (anun.u "istrict =ocal 4o-ernment, the former
'inisters of 0nternal 12airs and the one of "isaster Preparedness, as
well as from is +8cellency the President, the petitioners opted to
petition Parliament, hence this petition!
3.0 PRAYERS OF THE PETITIONERS

The petitioners prayed that<
1, Parliament directs the 'inister of 0nternal 12airs to present a report of
the death that occurred on or about 1/
th
'arch, 2000 from the $hurch
of the 'o-ement for the Restoration of the 10 $ommandments of 4od
at &yabu.oto in (anun.u "istrict and other associated camps of the
church led by 6oseph (ibwetere!
2, Parliament directs 4o-ernment to resettle your petitioners who were
left homeless by the -ictims who died in the (anun.u inferno on or
4
about 1/ 'arch 2000 in the church of the 'o-ement for the
Restoration of the 10 $ommandments of 4od!
?, Parliament ur.es 4o-ernment to de-elop a policy to entitle and enable
-ictims who ha-e su2ered from the losses attributable to ne.li.ent
acts or omissions on the part of 4o-ernment or its oCcials in respect of
the death of the church of the 'o-ement for the Restoration of the 10
$ommandments of 4od to reco-er some bene3t or compensation from
4o-ernment!
4, Parliament directs 4o-ernment to secure funds to be e8tended to your
petitioners as a form of start:up capital to enable them start a settled
and producti-e life!
.0 !ETHO"O#O$Y
0n the consideration of the petition, the $ommittee<
i,! eld meetin.s with the followin.<
1! !+ Doweri (a.uta 'use-eni :President of the Republic of 9.anda
2! on! 4en! 1ronda &ya)airima:'inister of 0nternal 12airs
?! on! 'uruuli 'u)asa: 'inister for Security
4! on! 1mb! #aba 6ames:The 'inister of State for 0nternal 12airs
E! on! "r! $hris #aryomunsi %'P (in)i*i +ast,<
5! 4en! (ale (ayihura: The 0nspector 4eneral of Police<
/! 104P 4race 1)ullo: "irector $00"<
F! 104P 4race Turya.umanawe: "irector Operations, 9.anda Police
7orce<
9! 104P 1ndrew 7! (aweesi: $ommander ('P
10! S$P 4odfrey 'usana: "eputy "irector $00"
11! 1$P $hristine &andin.: "eputy "irector uman Ri.hts and =e.al
Ser-ices:9.anda Police 7orce
12! 1mb! (an.wa.ye 4abriel:the $hairman of the &ational &4O #oard<
1?! The Petitioners led by 0ddi #oa*, 9mtoni "oreen and Turyatemba
Sulaiman<
14! 'r! Ganyiha 7rancis:the Secretary &ational &4O #oard<
1E! 'isha)i Rwabutoni*e: 'ember &ational &4O #oard<
15! 'r! 6uu)o (asiita:The "eputy Resident "istrict $ommissioner (anun.u
district<
E
1/! 1 section of (anun.u "istrict =ocal 4o-ernment oCcials namely<
'uhumu*a 7:"istrict $ouncilor and $hairperspon Production, 'a.e*i
+mmy #yaru.aba:"ristrict $ouncillor, 6acinta (atabo,
1F! The "istrict Police $ommander %"P$, (anun.u:1SP 'uhan.i +dison
ii,! Re-iewed the followin. documents<
a, The Report of the 9.anda uman Ri.hts $ommission on the
(anun.u inferno< 2002,
b, Report on the death of persons in (anun.u inferno -ide $00"
HTRS +I12/I2000 %(anun.u $R# F?I2000,
c, Jo)es, Richard! 2009! 4hosts of (anun.uK 7ertility, Secrecy and
+8chan.e in the 4reat =a)es of +ast 1frica! (ampala, 9.andaK
7ountain Publishers!
iii,! 7ield -isits to the (anun.u district 19
th
L 2?
rd
September 201?
%.0 FIN"IN$S
%.1 THE ESSEN&E OF &'#TS AN" THE &'#TI& NAT'RE OF
THE &!RT&
There is a bi. -olume of a-ailable information on the operations of the
$hurch of the 'o-ement for the Restoration of the Ten
$ommandments of 4od %$'RT$,! 'ost of this information was
compiled after the 1/
th
'arch 2000 inferno! 1n analysis of this
information points to some salient features of this ill:fated church
most of which are a)in to cults!
1 cult can be construed as a system of reli.ious -eneration and
de-otion directed toward a particular 3.ure or ob>ect! 0t is also
noteworthy that besides >ust cults, there are doomsday cults too!
M"oomsday cultM is an e8pression used to describe .roups who belie-e
in 1pocalypticism and 'illenarianism, and can refer both to .roups
that prophesy catastrophe and destruction, and to those that attempt
to brin. it about!
To draw parallels between the $'RT$ and doomsday cults, it is
imperati-e to del-e into the -ery nature of the $'RT$!
%.2 Pro()*+, o- a cata+tro()ic *nd
5
The $'RT$ ri.ht from inception was premised on the calculated belief
that the end of the world was imminent hence the need to prepare for
this apocalyptic end!
Perhaps the most elaborate historical perspecti-e of the $'RT$ was
pro-ided to the $ommittee by on! 'uruli 'u)asa:the 'inister for
Security who traced the e-olution of this church to 19F0 with the
alle.ed reception of a -ision from the Jir.in 'ary by a one #ulandina
#u*i.ye at &yabu.oto Roc) in Rwanyabin.i ills, &ya)ishenyi,
Rubabo, Ru)un.iri district and the subse;uent emer.ence of the
&yabu.oto Sisters who later metermophosi*ed into the $'RT$! This
-ision was about the end of the world by the year 2000
1-ailable literature indicates that the early founders of the 'o-ement
included< 1n.elina 'i.isha, $redonia 'werinde, 4audensia (amuswa,
7ulumera, Robert 'u.isha, 4audensia Rutande)ire and 9rsula
(yomuhan.i!
#etween 19F9 and 199E the 'o-ement attracted more recruits
includin. 6oseph (ibwetere, 7r! "ominic (ataribabo, 7r! 6oseph 'ary
(asapurari and 6ohn (ama.ara and witnessed tremendous .rowth as
e-idenced by establishment of branches in nei.hbourin. areas of
Rutooma, Ru.a*i, (ya)a, Rubiri*i to mention a few!
Ghereas doomsday was initially declared for ?1
st
"ecember 1999 and
that the $hurch was a)in to &oahNs 1r)
1
, that prophesy pro-ed futile
promptin. deferral to the period 15
th
L 1F
th
'arch 2000 and indeed
1/
th
'arch 2000 became the date for the now infamous (anun.u
inferno!
%.3 'n.a/*ring co00it0*nt and 1*2i*- in it+ 2*ad*r3+
1*2i*- +,+t*04 id*o2og,4 and (ractic*+ a+ t)* Trut).
7rom the precedin. narrati-e, the do.matic belief in the prophesy
about the apocalyptic end of the world is symptomatic of the cultic
orientation of the $'RT$
%. T)* di+courag*0*nt and (uni+)0*nt o- 5u*+tioning4
dou1t4 and di++*nt
0t is noteworthy that in the aftermath of the inferno, se-eral mass
.ra-es were disco-ered in -arious premises of the cult leaders! The
Police report for instance re-eals that<
1
&oahNs 1r) is the -essel in the 4enesis Bood narrati-e %The #iblical #oo) of 4enesis chapters 5L9, by
which &oah sa-es himself, his family, and a remnant of all the worldOs animals from the Bood!
/
a, 1EE bodies were e8humed at the residence of Re-! 7r! "ominic
(ataribaho in #ushenyi district,
b, 1E? bodies were e8humed at #uhun.a cult church in Ru)un.iri,
c, F1 bodies were e8humed at Rusho>wa cults church in #ushenyi,
d, EE bodies were e8humed in a residence at #u*i.a in (ampala
0t has been ar.ued that the futility of the initial prophesy of the end of
the world on "ecember ?1
st
1999 precipitated -arious ;uestions and
doubts amon. some followers and it is belie-ed that such doubters
were brutally murdered to stem any possible dissent! 0nfact the
$ommittee was informed that in the aftermath of the futility of the
initial prophesy some doubters demanded for a refund of the
proceeds of the sale of their property, one of the $hurch leaders:
$redonia 'werinde initiated the recordin. of the names of those who
were demandin. such refunds! 0t is hi.hly possible that some of such
records were used to systematically identify and eliminate dissenters!
%.% T)* r*2ianc* on 0ind6a2t*ring (ractic*+ 7+uc) a+ a
+trict ru2* o- +i2*nc*4 0*ditation4 c)anting4 +(*aking in
tongu*+4 d*nunciation +*++ion+4 and d*1i2itating .ork
routin*+ and i0(o/*ri+)0*nt o- -o22o.*r+8 to +u((r*++
dou1t+ a1out t)* grou( and it+ 2*ad*r7+8.
1-ailable information shows that the $'RT$ instituted a strict rule of
silence amon. its members and this is belie-ed to ha-e been a
strate.y to curtail any ;uestions or propa.ation of any potentially
;uestionable ideas amon. its 'embers!
Other salient features of cults that 3t within the nature of the $'RT$
include< the elitist nature of its leadership that often predetermines
how the rest of the 'embers should thin), as e8empli3ed by the
hi.hly educated leaders such as 6oseph (ibwetere and "ominic
(ataribabo who were accomplished and hi.hly learned people!
The $ommittee is stron.ly of the -iew that the $'RT$ was indeed
cultic and therefore a lot of its acti-ities should be construed as such!
%.9 FREE"O! OF :ORSHIP IN '$AN"A AN" THE
ATTEN"ANT OB#I$ATIONS AN" RESPONSIBI#ITIES OF
&ITI;ENS AN" THE STATE
F
0t is noteworthy that 9.anda is a secular state for which the national
$onstitution prescribes no state reli.ion! 1rticle / of the 199E
$onstitution states that P9.anda shall not adopt a State reli.ion!Q
+-ery 9.andan is free to subscribe to whate-er faith or reli.ion they
want! 1rticle 29 %c , pro-ides that +-ery person shall ha-e the ri.ht to
R freedom to practice any reli.ion and manifest such practice which
shall include the ri.ht to belon. to and participate in the practices of
any reli.ious body or or.ani*ation in a manner consistent with this
$onstitutionQ! 1s such there is .enerally no interference by
.o-ernment in a2airs of worship and reli.ion! 7reedom of reli.ion and
worship is a manifestation of the belief that human bein.s ha-e the
ability to decide their faith and belief systems in consonance with their
conscience! 0t is therefore an indi-idualNs choice when it comes to
decisions related to when, how and who they want to worship!
The $ommittee found no e-idence that the 'embers of the $'RT$
were coerced into >oinin. that particular belief system! Ghether or not
they were aware of the $hurchNs cultic orientations may be debatable
but that does not in anyway relie-e the -ictims of the inferno, sa-e for
the child -ictims, from the responsibility of usin. their discretion to
either e8it the 'embership of the $hurch or alert law enforcement
authorities!
The $ommittee belie-es that the relationship between the state and its
citi*ens brin.s with it responsibilities and obli.ations of either party!
Ghile the state has the responsibility and obli.ation to ensure security,
ser-ice deli-ery, protection of ri.hts and the .eneral welfare of its
citi*ens, it would be foolhardy for citi*ens to throw caution to the wind
by sacri3cin. their discretion in ma)in. choices for matters innately
personal such as reli.ion and hope that the state is omniscient,
omnipresent and omnipotent to remotely fore:stall the possible
ne.ati-e rami3cations of rec)less and often impulsi-e indi-idual
decisions e8cept the children! 0t as for instance been ar.ued that the
$'RT$ was re.istered as an &4O in the mid 1990s and therefore the
&4O board had the responsibility to e2ecti-ely monitor and re.ulate
the acti-ities of the $hurch! #ut the $ommittee notes that in the case
of this $hurch, it o-ertly e8uded si.ns of bein. law abidin. and its
pro8imity to some people in positions of authority aided its re.istration
as an &4O! The report of the 9.anda uman Ri.hts $ommission titled
PThe (anun.u 'assacreQ, states that<
9
POri.inally, the state did not appro-e of (ibwetere cult acti-ities! 1s far
bac) as 1994, Doro)amu (amacerere, the R"$ of Ru)un.iri, refused to
support the cultNs re.istration as an &4O! e had also closed its school
but when he was transferred to (asese, within two months of his
departure, the cultNs leadership had already con-inced his successor,
(ita)a 4awera into supportin. it and layin. a foundation stone on one
of their buildin.s at the cultNs head;uarters! The leaders and followers
appeared to be law abidin. citi*ens yet with inherent deception! They
participated in -arious community and ci-ic acti-ities includin. -otin.
durin. elections!
The $ult was re.istered as an &4O in 199/ and later incorporated as a
company in 199F! 0t appears that the relationship between the cult and
'uta*indwa 1mooti was mutually bene3cial! 0t is common )nowled.e
in (anun.u that the cult had assi.ned two PnunsQ to do domestic wor)
at 1IR"$ 'uta*indwaNs residence permanently! 0t is also true that on
the fateful day i!e! 1/ 'arch 2000 Re-! 'uta*indwa had tra-elled to
(anun.u from =yantonde L his new station L to attend a farewell party
or.anised for him by the cult leadership!
The cult leaders were )nown for their P.enerosityQ! 7ormer R"$
(amacerere informed the team that after closin. their school and
refusin. to support their application for re.istration as an &4O
(ibwetere, 'werinde and (ataribabo tried to bribe him! They went to
his oCce and o2ered him Pa bi. en-elopeQ which he re>ected!
Presumably this was e8tended to other leadersIauthorities in (anun.u
and Ru)un.iri!
1fter re.istration as an &4O, the cult was free to le.ally operate in
di2erent parts of the country li)e Rutooma, #uhun.a, &ya)isho>wa,
Ru.a*i and #u*i.a in (ampala! These centres were used for retreats
and seminars to indoctrinate the followers of the cult! #ut it was also in
these places that people were )illed and buried secretly! Ghat is
astonishin. is that the cult carried out its murderous acti-ities without
state detection and peopleNs sli.htest suspicion!Q
0n the circumstances, it was therefore incumbent on the indi-idual
members of the $hurch e8cept the $hildren to notify law enforcement
authorities of the downside of this ill:fated church to enable timely
state inter-ention!
10
The $ommittee further notes that the relati-e i.norance and low
literacy le-els of most of the 'embers of this $hurch as compared to
its hi.hly elitist leaders, created a do.matic en-ironment where the
followers hardly ;uestioned the -alues the $hurch was impartin. unto
them! This coupled with the fact that the 'embers were under
instruction not to communicate -erbally rendered any -iable form of
information collection by the a.encies tas)ed with monitorin. the &4O
futile!
owe-er, the $ommittee also notes the need for stron.er monitorin.
of the wor) of such .roups that may use the banner of faith to mete
catastrophic dan.er unto unsuspectin. members of the public!
The $'RT$ presented itself as a ser-ice deli-ery and faith based
or.ani*ation! Ghile the ser-ice deli-ery component pro>ected it as a
.ood or.ani*ation, the faith:based dimension was shrouded in secrecy!
The $ommittee notes that e-en when the oCcials from the &ational
&4O #oard -isited one of the sites of the $'RT$ prior to the inferno,
the followers could not communicate -erbally!
%.< !ONITORIN$ OF N$OS
The $ommittee notes that the &ational &4O #oard at that time was so
wea) and remains wea) todate! Gith limited staCn., an inade;uate
bud.et and the absence of de3niti-e monitorin. tools for the plethora
of &4Os, the &ational &4O #oard ur.ently needs stren.thenin. so as
to bolster its eCciency and e2ecti-eness! The $ommittee further notes
that prior to the 2005 amendment of the &4O Re.istration 1ct, the
&ational &4O #oard ma>orly played the role of re.isterin. &4Os! Ghile
the 2005 amendment brou.ht in the additional responsibility of
monitorin., there is limited capability to enable it e2ecti-ely play the
watchdo. role!
Ghile an impendin. amendment to the &4O Re.istration 1ct has been
muted by the 'inister of 0nternal 12airs, the $ommittee recommends
that such an amendment should also re-iew the caliber and
competencies of those who will be 'embers of the #oard and e8pand
a-enues for coordination in monitorin.!
11
0n order to e2ecti-ely forestall the reoccurrence of such catastrophes,
it is imperati-e to stren.then monitorin., sur-eillance and .reater ci-ic
awareness!
9.0 &ONSI"ERATION OF THE SPE&IFI& PRAYERS OF THE
PETITIONERS
9.1 PRAYER 1: "E!AN"S FOR THE REPORT INTO THE
&'#T "EATHS
The PetitionersN 3rst prayer was that Parliament directs the 'inister of
0nternal 12airs to present a report of the death that occurred on or
about 1/
th
'arch 2000 from the church of the 'o-ement for the
Restoration of the 10 $ommandments of 4od at &yabu.oto in (anun.u
"istrict and other associated camps of the church led by 6oseph
(ibwetere!
On this prayer, the $ommittee notes that there was more than >ust one
in;uiry by the 4o-ernment of 9.anda into the inferno! #esides the
>udicial $ommission of 0n;uiry earlier alluded to, there was also Police
in-esti.ation! owe-er durin. interfaces between the $ommittee and
the Petitioners, it emer.ed that the report of the PetitionersN interest
was that of the 6udicial $ommission of 0n;uiry, thou.h the $ommittee
set out to unearth both reports!
The $ommittee learnt that besides the 6udicial commission of in;uiry
earlier mentioned in this report, there was also a police in-esti.ation
which remains inconclusi-e todate! 1ppearin. before the $ommittee,
the 04P informed the $ommittee that in;uiries into the inferno are still
pendin. and any useful information to enable its lo.ical conclusion
were welcome!
This essentially implies that there cannot be a full report on an
in-esti.ation that is still incomplete!
This lea-es the only other option of a report on the inferno as that of
the >udicial $ommission of 0n;uiry! 1ppearin. before the $ommittee 1
st
1pril 2014, the 'inister of 0nternal 12airs:4en! 1ronda &ya)airima, the
State 'inister for 0nternal 12airs: 1mb! #aba 6ames and the PS 0nternal
12airs:"r! (a.oda Stephen stated that they were neither aware of the
appointment the said 6udicial $ommission of 0n;uiry nor its acti-ities
let alone its report!
12
7or the case of the Police in-esti.ation, the $ommittee established that
it was carried out after the 'arch 1/
th
2000 inferno! The $ommittee
notes that the 3ndin.s of the Police is in tandem with other witnessesN
accounts of the pre:inferno narrati-es detailin. who the leaders were,
the areas where the cult operated, the modus:operandi of the cult and
the number of bodies disco-ered in -arious locations! 0t is important to
note is that on 5
th
1pril 2000, 0nternational Garrants of 1rrest were
issued a.ainst all the si8 suspects but todate they ha-e not been
arrested! These are< 6oseph (ibwetere, Re-! 7r! "ominic (ataribaho,
Re-! Sr! $ledonia 'werinde, Re-! 7r! 6oseph 'ary (asapurali, Re-! 6ohn
(ama.ara and Re-! Sr! 9rsla (omuhan.i!
The $ommittee also notes that prior to the inferno, in 6anuary 2000, a
complaint by a one 'r! $onrad #aryamwisa)i to the then Senior
1ssistant $ommissioner of Police 6ohn #! O)umu, a Pri-ate Secretary to
the President responsible for $0" 12airs that there was an ille.al
e8istence of a cult )nown as &aba.oti reli.ion and that the sect was
operatin. within (anun.u, #u.on.i and (ashewahero! e alle.ed that
the sect headed by a one (ibwetere was )idnappin. and retainin.
youn. children a.ainst their will as well as those of their parents! e
stated that the children who passed away were buried in a mass .ra-e!
0n his letter dated 2E
th
6anuary 2000, S1$P 6!#! O)umu directed the "P$
Ru)un.iri to 3nd out the truth about the acti-ities of the rin. leaders of
the cult and to ascertain whether the sect is re.istered or not! The then
"P$ Ru)un.iri:SP 'u.i*i Patric) in his response letter dated E
th
7ebruary 2000 to the Pri-ate Secretary to the President responsible for
$0" 12airs, copied to the R"$ and =$J $hairman Ru)un.iri stated that
the sect was not ille.al and was re.istered as an &4O! e also stated
that there were cases of children >oinin. the or.ani*ation -oluntarily
without the consent of their parents and that it was not true that the
children were )illed and buried in mass .ra-es!
owe-er not lon. after the "P$Ns report, there was an inferno on 1/
th
'arch 2000!
$onse;uently in;uiries were instituted into the alle.ations that the "P$
Ru)un.iri had not carried out thorou.h in-esti.ations into the acti-ities
of the cult! The case 3le was submitted to "PP for perusal and le.al
ad-ice! 0n his opinion dated 2
nd
October 2000, the "PP stated that
1?
there was no e-idence to support alle.ations of ne.lect of duty a.ainst
the "P$ and therefore ad-ised no criminal prosecution of the "P$!
Re.ardin. the inconclusi-eness of the Police in-esti.ation, the
$ommittee notes the need for .reater momentum in these
in-esti.ations so as to forestall the subsistin. an8iety!
9.2 PRAYER 2: RESETT#E!ENT OF PETITIONERS
The petitionersN second prayer was that Parliament directs 4o-ernment
to resettle them because they were left homeless by the -ictims who
died in the (anun.u inferno on or about 1/
th
'arch 2000 in the church
of the 'o-ement for the Restoration of the 10 $ommandments of 4od!
The $ommittee notes that the adult -ictims of the inferno were not
forcefully conscripted into the $hurch but rather -oluntarily >oined and
for those who sold o2 their property includin. land and later remitted
the proceeds of such sales to the $hurch, they did so -oluntarily! This
therefore raises the issue of what the role of 4o-ernment is in
resettlin. the dependants or relati-es of people who -oluntarily sold o2
their land! 0n this case, the Petitioners cannot claim resettlement as an
entitlement because their benefactors made -oluntary decisions on the
disposal of property that was their own! The decision on resettlement
therefore lies at the discretion of 4o-ernment and can only be on
compassionate .rounds!
The rationale for compassionate assistance is that some of the -ictims
of the inferno included minors and others who had been dri-en into
po-erty by the treachery of the cult leaders! 0f the +8ecuti-e can
establish the .enuine sur-i-ors of the inferno, then the consideration
for resettlement on compassionate .rounds may come in handy! The
$ommittee is of the -iew that any such resettlement on compassionate
.rounds, if deemed 3t should be within the ancestral areas of the
eli.ible bene3ciaries!
The $ommittee also notes that the petitioners narrowed themsel-es to
orphans and yet there may be other relati-es of the -ictims of the
inferno who may ha-e been ad-ersely a2ected by the cult deaths!
4oin. forward, there is need to broaden the scope of the potential
bene3ciaries of any such compassionate assistance!
14
0n addition, information a-ailable to the $ommittee indicates that most
of the -ictims of the inferno mo-ed to the premises of the $'RT$
to.ether with most if not all of their immediate family! This therefore
implies that the petitioners may be relati-es of some of the -ictims of
the inferno but whether or not they were indeed direct dependants of
those -ictims of the inferno remains a sub>ect of in-esti.ation!
'orestill, considerin. that there is no e-idence that "&1 tests were
carried out on all the -ictims of the inferno, it would not be practically
possible to scienti3cally determine the eli.ibility of any possible
bene3ciaries of any relocation and resettlement plan! The $ommittee
notes that by the time of the inferno in 2000, 9.anda had not yet
ac;uired "&1 testin. capabilities implyin. that if it had to be done,
then the samples had to be Bown to other more ad-anced >urisdictions
implyin. a hu.e cost implication!
0nfact durin. the course of the in;uiry, s;uabbles emer.ed amon.st
the petitioners o-er who indeed lost relati-es in the inferno: an
indicator of possible opportunism!
0t a.ainst this bac).round that the $ommittee recommends that the
Petitioners be accorded compassionate assistance upon ri.orous and
successful -eri3cation of eli.ibility!
9.3 PRAYER 3: THE "E=E#OP!ENT OF A PO#I&Y TO ENTIT#E
AN" ENAB#E =I&TI!S :HO HA=E S'FFERE" FRO! THE
#OSSES ATTRIB'TAB#E TO NE$#I$ENT A&TS OR
O!ISSIONS ON THE PART OF $O=ERN!ENT OR ITS
OFFI&IA#S IN RESPE&T OF THE "EATH OF THE &H'R&H
OF THE !O=E!ENT FOR THE RESTORATION OF THE 10
&O!!AN"!ENTS OF $O" TO RE&O=ER SO!E BENEFIT
OR &O!PENSATION FRO! $O=ERN!ENT.
The crucial ;uestion here is whether indeed the deaths at the inferno
was a result of ne.li.ence on the part of 4o-ernment and if indeed
4o-ernment bears responsibility for the -oluntary worship patterns of
citi*ensS The determination of responsibility or ne.li.ence is
dependent on a fully Bed.ed in-esti.ation where a.ain the results of
the $ommission of in;uiry would be )ey!
1E
1s earlier noted, there were in-esti.ations into this ill:fated church and
its attendant acti-ities by state a.encies prior to the inferno %refer to
para 5!0, This absol-es 4o-ernment of any possible accusations of
inaction or ineptness!
On the issue of de-elopin. a policy, the $ommittee notes that far from
what many thin) of .o-ernment policy as some written piece of
literature, .o-ernment policy is basically the inactions and actions of
.o-ernment and can be written or unwritten! 4o-ernment has
historically compensated indi-iduals and .roups of indi-iduals for
-arious losses occasioned as a result of the actions of .o-ernment! 7or
instance the 1choli and lan.o war debt claimants! Therefore the part of
this prayer that see)s for the formulation of a policy on compensation
is redundant!
Parliament therefore cannot start awardin. compensation
9. PRAYER : PAR#IA!ENT TO "IRE&T $O=ERN!ENT TO
SE&'RE F'N"S TO BE E>TEN"E" TO YO'R
PETITIONERS AS A FOR! OF START6'P &APITA# TO
ENAB#E THE! START A SETT#E" AN" PRO"'&TI=E
#IFE.
This too raises ethical ;uestions .i-en that .o-ernment already
deli-ers non:discriminatory ser-ices to its citi*ens includin.
inter-entions such as Bona-Bagagawale and the youth -enture capital
fund!
The $ommittee notes that this prayer is a)in to prayer 2 abo-e and in
addition to the earlier recommendation< the $ommittee implores the
e8ecuti-e to prioriti*e ci-ic education and inculcate in the citi*enry the
-alues of hard wor) and pro.ress! This prayer smac)s of the
Pen-elopeQ mentality where citi*ens wait for handouts from
.o-ernment instead of wor)in. to transform their li-es!
Pro-idin. for a separate fund for such cate.ories of people will imply
the proliferation of funds and thereby >eopardi*e the national plannin.
and de-elopment process and its inherent ob>ecti-es!
< OTHER $ENERA# RE&O!!EN"ATIONS
15
Str*ngt)*ning t)* Nationa2 N$O Board: The $ommittee notes that
since the &ational &4O #oard is mandated to re.ister and monitor the
operations of &4Os, there is need to stren.then it so as to bolster its
eCciency and e2ecti-eness! 7rom the $ommitteeNs interface with the
representati-es of the &ational &4O #oard, it was clear that the
&ational &4O board is .rossly understa2ed and lowly resourced .rossly
inhibitin. its eCciency and e2ecti-eness!
This should be coupled with the establishment of functional syner.ies
between the &ational &4O #oard and other state institutions both at
the centre at local .o-ernments so as to bolster the monitorin. of the
acti-ities of &on State 1ctors!
? &ON&#'SION
The $ommittee recommends that this report be adopted!
1/