By Pr Moses Solomon Male, Executive Director, Arising For Christ. Tel 256-772-479386. msmalearch@gmail.com
19th March 2012
Dear partners, friends and fellow Ugandans,
Ref: STATEMENT TO MARK 12 YEARS SINCE THE KANUNGU CULT TRAGEDY
Warm greetings to you from Arising For Christ and all our partners in the National Committee on Cults & False Teachings Awareness and thanks for your continued commitment to the struggle against cults, the occult and false teachings that continue targeting, hurting and wrecking our people in their times of desperate need.
As you may well remember, on 17th March 2000, the nation and world at large witnessed the horrors of the Kanungu headquartered Movement for Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God cult tragedy in which more than 1000 men, women and innocent children perished. The actual numbers of dead will never be known.
Barely 6 years later in January 2006, Government permitted the Bambi Baaba Jozewaffe Mugonza led Rakai based Sserulanda Nsuloyabulamu Spiritual Foundation, through its front organization, Kagera Eco Cities to operate a semi-autonomous 200 square miles Lake Victoria Free Trade Zone.
In March 2006, with partner ministries and churches under the auspices of the National Committee on Cults & False Teaching Awareness, we launched the National campaign against cults and false teaching which led to the birth of the Awareness Campaign Against Homosexuality and Sexual Abuses in Uganda in October 2008.
Today we belatedly mark 12 years since the Kanungu inferno and 6 years since the launch of the National Awareness Campaign Against Cults and False Teachings.
Sadly, as we remember the great loss of lives, the nation continues as if nothing ever happened not only in remote Kanungu, but in metropolitan Buziga, Kampala City and other cult facilities away from Kanungu.
Worse still, it seems no lessons were drawn from that tragedy and many people continue to fall victims of greedy, ruthless religious mafia. Besides, people of all walks of life continue to be lured into cults during their times of need.
We remember what happened in Kampala on 11th July 2010 during the World Cup finals when many lives were lost and others scarred forever at the hands of men who believed that by killing, they were doing a duty for God. The spiritually motivated Kony led war whose impact is felt even across Uganda’s boarders must not be forgotten.
The importance of Uganda’s involvement in Somalia must not be underestimated and our troops on the ground need to be commended for risking to stabilize that cult infested country.
However, Government has let Ugandans down by its failure to investigate the Kibwetere cult tragedy; why so many people joined and were manipulated to surrender their possessions, then killed in their desperate search for God.
It has also failed to investigate the many cases of fraud and rip-offs, sexual abuses, rapes and defilements; manipulating the sick off medical treatment with empty promises of divine healings while the manipulators access medical treatment, etc, that are committed under cover of religion.
In many cases, Government agencies and systems have simply given them patronage and protection.
Similarly, corporate religious leaders mandated to do the work of the Good Samaritan and watchman ship have not played their role but simply kept quite as criminals operate under guise of religion, or covered and defended them.
Therefore, while in the UK, the death of Anna Climbie in the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God led to a probe and in Belgium, its fraudulent operations led to a Parliamentary Inquiry into its activities; in the USA, the Senate investigated the close to 100 Waco Texas Branch Davidian Seventh Day Adventist Church mass murders and Jim Jones led People Temple Christian Church mass murders in Jonestown, Guyana in 1978: in Uganda, the death of over 1,000 people at the hands of religious criminals, continued rip offs, sexual abuses and other crimes committed on the desperate under guise of religion seem to bother neither the Executive, Parliament nor religious most leadership.
To all right thinking Ugandans, this amounts to indifference and lack of duty of care on the part of government and corporate religious leadership.
On cult awareness, corruption, social injustice, unfairness and abuse of systems:
Without any support, our efforts to create awareness about cults, the occult and false teachings continue despite sabotage even within the church and state by institutions and individuals that should have helped us to execute the daunting task better. It is no secret that some of us, pastors Moses Solomon Male (the undersigned), Martin Ssempa, Michael Kyazze and Robert Kaira; Deborah Kyomuhendo and David Mukalazi, are in court on tramped up charges just because of daring to do the work of the Good Samaritan which most leaders fear to do: sensitizing the public about the challenge and dangers of homosexuality and sexual abuses, and stand with voiceless abuse victims.
Evident are stinking corrupt-filled systems which dictate the need to also arise against all corruption, social injustice, unfairness and abuse of systems that oppress the weak and voiceless and drive many into cults and the occult in their desperate hunt for justice, fairness and redress. That campaign we launch now.
On the Kanungu Inferno:
Since government simply hoodwinked Ugandans that it had set up the Kanungu cult tragedy inquiry, rather than keep quiet, religious leaders corporate should have set up an inquiry not only on Kanungu, but on all atrocities committed in religious circles and entities, some of which feature in the media but with no tangible action taken; and further set up a fund to support victims of religious mafia. Silence signifies complicity with perpetrators of crimes against humanity committed under guise of religion.
On the homosexuality cult:
We continue to see increased activity and aggressiveness by the homosexuality cult. Bishop Christopher Senyonjo and his wife Mary Senyonjo have been applauded by the American homosexual community for their message, “God loves you, gay or straight”. They have also received financial support for their now strengthened St Paul Equality and Reconciliation Centre in Bukoto, Kampala. They are a couple that must be watched.
Recently, the Hon Minister of State, Ethics and Integrity stopped a homosexuality activist conference in Entebbe, declaring it an illegal assembly. One wonders where Police was when it was being organized! Remember, this was not the first assembly: they have convened at Kampala’s Imperial Royale and in many other places.
Human rights law lecturers at universities consider homosexuals a minority whose rights must be protected, meaning, many law graduates are ready to advocate for homosexual rights.
More cases of homosexuality continue to be reported with the most recent being filed at Kawempe Police Station under ref SD 34/09/03/2012 where the victim, Mark is a 17 ½ years old minor, presenter of Teens programs on Top Tv and the suspect is Laurent, an adult employee of Top TV. This case qualifies for defilement (paedophilia).
We strongly condemn the sexual abuse of children in workplaces, schools, homes and general community who have no capacity to bargain for sex.
Though homosexuals insist this is not homosexuality but paedophilia, we believe words must not derail us. It was a same sex sexual act where the victim is a minor. We hope the homosexual community will join us in condemning their own and appreciate that our decision to fight homosexuality is not farfetched but based on sound reason.
Homosexuals accuse us of homophobia: it is not homophobia; we are just telling them to wake up because what they are indulging in is dangerous to their lives and the young people they continue taking advantage of.
We call upon employers to take extra care of minors under their charge and conduct homosexuality awareness sessions in their work places just like they talk about HIV.
The Western media carries pro-gay propaganda using faked up stories like that of Victor Mukasa rape in church.
On the David Bahati ‘Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2009
You all know what is happening in Parliament with the return of this bill with arguments that there is no law against homosexuality. We are surprised that Parliament can bother with the anti-homosexuality bill when there are laws on our law books to address it but are simply not enforced. Similar laws were used to convict two adult homos in Malawi.
In December 2010, the Chief Magistrate Luwero, Byaruhanga Jesse R sentenced Kavuma Sadique Fahad, a primary school teacher of Zakayo Musisi Memorial School, for having anal sex with two of his pupils Nakibinge Ssozi Dan and Nkoyooyo Dan, aged 13 and 14 years respectively, to 3 years in jail for each of the two counts on own plea of guilt. If there is no law, how could he have been charged and sentenced? Our intervention compelled Police to act.
The greatest and most important aim of the bill: protecting children, is already catered for by The Penal Code Amendment 2007, accented to by the President, a copy available for perusal, whose contents, surprisingly many Police officers don’t know, and we believe, Parliamentarians do not know it too despite the fact that some, including Hon David Bahati himself should have participated in its formulation process (unless they missed the sessions or were sleeping or simply never paid attention as it was debated and passed) and key chunks of it on Aggravated homosexuality were just imported into the now much publicised ‘anti homosexuality bill 2009’.
Section 2 of this Amendment specifically says:
“2. Section 129 of the Penal code is replaced:
The Principal Act is amended by substituting for section the following new sections:
129. ‘Defilement of persons under eighteen years of age:
1. Any person who performs a sexual act with another person who is below the age of eighteen years commits a felony known as defilement and is on conviction liable to life imprisonment.
2. any person who attempts to perform a sexual act with another person who is below the age of eighteen years commits an offense and is on conviction liable to imprisonment not exceeding eighteen years.
3. Any person who performs a sexual act with another person who is below the age of eighteen years in any of the circumstances specified in subsection 4 commits a felony called aggravated defilement and is on conviction by the High Court liable to suffer death.
4. The circumstances referred to in subsection 3 are as follows:
a) Where the person against whom the offense is committed is below the age of fourteen years;
b) Where the offender is infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV);
c) Where the offender is a parent or guardian of or a person in authority over the person against whom the offense is committed;
d) Where the victim of the offense is a person with a disability; or
e) Where the offender is a serial offender.
5. Any person who attempts to perform a sexual act with another person below the age of eighteen years in any of the circumstances specified in subsection 4 commits an offense and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for life.
6. Where a person is charged with the offense under this section that person shall undergo a medical examination as to his or her Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) status.
7. In this section:
Ø “Disability” means a substantial functional limitation of daily life activities caused by physical, mental or sensory impairment and environment barriers resulting in limited participation;
Ø “Serial offender” means a person means a person who has a previous conviction for the offense of defilement or aggravated defilement;
Ø “Sexual act” means:
a) Penetration of the vagina, mouth or anus, however slight, of any person by a sexual organ;
b) The unlawful use of any object or organ by a person on another person’s sexual organ;
Ø “Sexual organ” mean a vagina or a penis
129A: Child to child sex:
- Where the offender in the case of any offense under section 129 is a child under the age of twelve years, the matter shall be dealt with as required by Part V of the Children Act
- Where an offense under section 129 is committed by a male child and a female child upon each other when each is not below the age of twelve years of age, each of the offenders shall be dealt with by Part X of the Children Act.
129B: Payment of compensation to victims of defilement:
- Where a person is convicted of defilement or aggravated defilement under section 129, court may, in addition to any sentence imposed on the offender, order that the victim of the offense be paid compensation by the offender for any physical, sexual and psychological harm caused to the victim by the offense.
- The amount of compensation shall be determined by the court and the court shall take into account the extent of harm suffered by the victim of the offence, the degree of force used by the offender and medical and other expenses incurred by the victim as a result of the offence”
From all indications, sections of the Bahati Bill that have attracted most attention of Ugandans to support it and fury from the West with threats of cutting aid are already part of the assented to law and need not be repeated. The children are protected. Promotion through use of pornographic material can be addressed when dealing with the whole lot of pornography.
We are again petitioning Parliament to drop this Bill as it is a waste of resources and stirs controversy for no reason. We feel Parliament should concentrate on cleaning up the systems so that enacted laws can be successfully applied. There is no reason why criminals and the dubious should be promoted and the honest sidelined or frustrated to quit.
We believe that Uganda’s problem is not absence of good laws, but the stinking corrupt systems that are supposed to enforce the laws and ensure justice and redress to the hurt. They include the Police CID, DPP’s office, judiciary and notorious ‘Order From Above’ which are used and abused with all impunity by the ever growing mafia to flout the law, protect themselves and hurt their victims further and ensure that they frustrate justice. They need overhaul.
On the Sserulanda cult inquiry:
In 2007, President Museveni set up a Commission of Inquiry into Sserulanda Spiritual Foundation, a cult which had hoodwinked government to permit it operate a 200 square miles autonomous Lake Victoria Free Trade Zone. In 2008, the Commission started its work, concluded its investigations in 2009 and in 2010, handled over its report whose parts were published in The New Vision of Tuesday, September 27, 2011. Basing on that report and more, the Sserulanda cult has reliably, from documents available in soft copy, filed a complaint against not only the Government of Uganda, but several people, including the undersigned (Pr Moses Solomon Male) and African Centre for Apologetics and Research (CAFR), to the United Nations Human Rights Council.
We don’t yet know how authentic the document is but considering its contents and language, it is hard to believe that it is not authentic. If authentic, we welcome the move to enable us prove further to the world that the group is a cult.
As I have always re-iterated, we will not be intimidated by law suits however numerous they may be.
On abominations under guise of religion:
It is sad to report that criminals in church and witch-doctoring have taken advantage of the ongoing conspiracy accusations against us in court, to commit more atrocities with impunity against their desperate and unsuspecting followers. Fraud, sexual abuses and exploitation, sodomy, enslavement, faking up of miracles and miraculous testimonies, misleading the sick off medication, forgeries, human sacrifices and many others continue.
It is now evident that the Christian version of the lottery is deep in church and people are being taught gambling instead of hard-work right from within church pulpits. Though shaming, churchmen and women are not ashamed and vigorously defend looting the desperate! People are promised all sorts of breakthroughs including winning cars if they pay or buy tickets among others. You know what now happens at the New Year gathering in stadiums, and to the Bishop Elijah Semugabi’s Nakivubo car scam. You remember Augustine Yiga’s dishing out money to lure masses.
It is a high time religious leaders and followers stopped covering up their own if we are to clean up the church. On our part, we will continue with awareness in effort to minimize incidences of people falling victims to religious mafia.
This is a warning to all taking advantage of our being in court that court cases must end and we will go after them.
We still call upon government to disarm all clerics since some abuse the guns at their disposal. Clerics of God don’t need guns and bombs around them: God’s angels are enough to protect them. Those who have guns are either criminals or dubious and feel insecure because of victims they have hurt.
On manipulation, mind-control and the occult:
We continue to condemn manipulation and mind-control, and the indulgence in the occult (magic, witchcraft, divination and necromancy) which are in practice even deep in church and presented as the power of God. These have compelled people into not only surrendering their riches to shrewd fraudsters and charlatans, but into submitting to sexual and other abuses & committing heinous crimes in the hope of acquiring their real life aspirations.
We decry the media which gives platform to such criminals no matter whether they claim to be Christians, Muslims or traditional. Mama Fina (the leaders of witches) has been given key platforms on various media to promote the notion that her folk really have power and fraudulent pastors advertise selves. Fake miracle testimonies & letters are aired!
People need to know that witchdoctors stage scenarios of demon infestations and exorcism just like their counterparts in churches with the aim of hoodwinking the desperate and ignorant that they have powers to deliver them. They need to be empowered to beware of new trends and tactics in manipulations.
On the growing mob justice cult:
This is a fast growing cult because of government systems actions and failings. There are many jobless people, while others live in pain and fear which impair their abilities to think, reason, understand, perceive and remember to make rational decisions. In many aspects, the systems are inefficient and overly corrupt compelling people who see no hope for justice through them to resort to mob-justice.
It ought to be understood that mob justice is not a deliberate attempt to flout the law, but an inner compulsion due to people’s lack of trust in the judicial and entire law enforcement systems based on any previous attempts to get justice in vain.
In light of that and more, we demand the following:
- That without further delay, Government tells the nation the steps it has undertaken to ensure that what happened in the Kanungu cult does not re-occur and whether the warrant of arrest against the Kanungu killers still stands.
- That H.E the President releases the Sserulanda inquiry findings and action taken. We also need copies so that we can prepare our defences in case directed by the world body to defend ourselves.
- That Government implements the Justice Julie Sebutinde led Commission of Inquiry into Police recommendations. Police lacks moral authority to police the country when criminals are hidden within.
- That Government sets up a body similar to the Uganda Human Rights Commission to specifically handle massive abuses of people’s rights in spiritual entities irrespective of divide.
- That Police tells the nation what happened to the Police investigations into the highly publicised kidnaps of two of Pr Robert Kayanja’s aides, Chris Muwonge allegedly kidnapped in April 2009 and Herbert Tumukunde allegedly kidnapped in May 2009, confirmed by Police spokeswoman Judith Nabakooba. We can’t have kidnaps and Police remains inactive when human lives are at stake. Culprits should face the law.
- That an inquiry is established into the atrocities, including paedophilia, sexual abuses, frauds, and manipulations committed in spiritual entities irrespective of faith, and should cover the role of the Police and other government agencies in covering up, harassing victims, killing cases and protecting offenders therein.
- That Government stops arming clerics and moves to disarm those armed just like it is implementing the Karamoja disarmament program, because such arms continue to be misused to harass & intimidate victims.
- That clerics stop empty prayers and move into action to deal with criminals in their ranks, and people’s real life problems, challenges and needs that compel them into cults. Prayers are not enough; had they been, Christ Jesus would not have come to earth, but stayed in heaven and prayed for the redemption of mankind. If He paid a price, we too need to pay the price for the betterment of our country and the people God has entrusted us with. Clerics lack moral authority to speak against corruption in the wider society when they can’t dare touch criminals within their ranks.
Finally, as we remember Kanungu, how over 1,000 desperate and voiceless people perished, it is important to know that with unwillingness of Government to tackle criminals in spiritual entities, and audacity of clerics and witchdoctors to cover up and defend their colleagues coupled with mass ignorance and despair, Kanungu can re-occur.
If pastors can consciously rape at gunpoint, sexually exploit under guise of anointing, defraud and sodomize with impunity, prophesy and lie even on oath without fear of accountability; witchdoctors rape women and defraud clientele with impunity and rely on state machinery for cover-up and protection, then no doubt, Kanungu can re-occur. Human rights abuses continue in the very manner of the Kanungu tragedy, with virtually no system to check or stop them. The Kibweteres are with us and people need to beware and be protected. Government must have the will to counter cults.
Our stand in ARCH and all partners in the National Committee on Cults & False Teaching Awareness and the National Coalition Against Homosexuality and Sexual Abuses, is that we won’t just look on as people get lured into cults by people who have no sense of value for people’s lives & dignity, using religion as cover-up for their criminal acts no matter the cost because our mentor, Christ Jesus proves foremost in valuing mankind, ethics and integrity.
Thanks. Peace and blessings, and Merry 2012 Easter.
Yours sincerely in Christ Jesus,
Moses Solomon Male
Evangelist / Executive Director – ARCH
Publicity Secretary - National Committee on Cults & False Teaching Awareness (NCCFTA).
Leader - National Coalition Against Homosexuality & Sexual Abuses (NCAHSAU)
