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During a search of Rugambwa’s home, police discovered tortoises and several cats, among other item
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By Our Reporter
Luwero: Police in Luwero District have arrested Juvenal Rugambwa, 57, a man claiming to be the son of Kanungu genocidaire Joseph Kibwetere, on charges of torture and child neglect. Rugambwa, a resident of Kilambula village in Zirobwe sub-county, was arrested alongside his wife, Winnie Rugambwa, after residents reported that the couple had dug a grave with the intention of burying their 10-year-old daughter alive.
Sperito Kiroli, the LC3 Chairman of Zirobwe sub-county, revealed that residents became suspicious after observing men digging a grave within Rugambwa’s walled compound and hearing the cries of a child. Acting on their concerns, some residents discreetly scaled the wall after Rugambwa left and discovered an open grave alongside the child, who was covered with a tarpaulin. They immediately alerted the police.
Kiroli stated that the residents suspected Rugambwa had planned to kill the child and bury her under the cover of night.
Savannah Regional Police Spokesperson, Isah Ssemwogerere, confirmed that police visited Rugambwa’s home and found the open grave along with the sick and malnourished child, who had been isolated in a separate room.
Rugambwa reportedly told police he had dug the grave to prepare for the child’s burial, claiming that their efforts to treat her illness had been unsuccessful.
The rescued child was transferred to Luwero Hospital for treatment with the support of FIDA. Meanwhile, Rugambwa and his wife were taken to Luwero Central Police Station.
“We have preferred charges of child neglect and torture against the parents. We are waiting for the State Attorney to sanction the charges before presenting them to court,” Ssemwogerere said.
During a search of Rugambwa’s home, police discovered tortoises and several cats, among other items.
Rugambwa told police and journalists that he is the second-born child of Joseph Kibwetere, infamous for leading the Kanungu cult massacre in 2000. Rugambwa was previously photographed in 2000 holding a picture of his parents at their family home in Kabumba village, Kanungu District.
Kibwetere led the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments, a cult that believed the world would end at the turn of the millennium. In 2000, the cult locked 778 followers inside a church, sealed the doors and windows, and set it ablaze. Hundreds of additional bodies were later found in mass graves at other locations associated with the cult.
