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Uganda Cult Massacre Victims? No, Photo of an Oil Tanker Explosion in the Democratic Republic of the Congo


IN SHORT: A graphic image of several charred bodies is being shared on social media in Kenya, with the claim it shows a sectarian massacre in Uganda in 2000. While the incident did take place, this photo is unrelated.

Warning: This article links to content with graphic and upsetting photos.

In April 2023, Kenya was gripped by the horrific discovery of mass graves linked to a Christian church in the Shakahola forest near the coastal town of Malindi.

Followers of the Good News International Church were reportedly convinced that they would go to heaven and “meet Jesus” if they starved themselves.

More than 100 bodies have been exhumed from sites in the forest at time of publication.

Since then, Kenyan social media platforms have been flooded with cult stories from different countries as users try to draw parallels.

On 24 April, a Kenyan Twitter user posted a graphic photo showing dozens of charred bodies, claiming it showed members of a Ugandan church who died “after burning themselves”.

They tweeted: “17 March 2000, Kanungu Uganda. 778 members of the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God died in Uganda after burning themselves in a Church. Weeks before that, the members had sold their properties and held a big celebration on the eve of their deaths.”

This tweet has been viewed more than 265,000 times. The same claim was also posted on Facebook here, here, here and here.