THE AFRICAN UNDERBELLY
Season 1
DOMINIC ONGWEN : THE ABDUCTED EXECUTIONER
AKBAR GODI: THE HONOURABLE MINISTER
by IMRAN KAAYA
Abducted by the Lord's Resistance Army as a child, Dominic Ongwen grew into one of its most feared commanders, a transformation that would force the world to confront one of the hardest questions in international justice: can someone be both victim and perpetrator? This episode traces Ongwen's journey from kidnapped schoolboy to architect of massacres, rape, forced marriage, and the use of child soldiers, culminating in a landmark trial at the International Criminal Court that reshaped how the law understands responsibility, trauma, and accountability in war.
Akbar Godi is a former Member of Parliament in Uganda whose name became widely known in connection with a high-profile murder case in the early 2000s. His arrest and trial drew national attention, placing him at the center of one of the most widely followed criminal cases involving a former legislator. In this episode of The African Underbelly, we revisit the documented events surrounding the case: his time in public office, the investigation that led to his arrest, the court proceedings that followed, and the public reaction that made the case a national talking point. This is the story of Akbar Hussein Godi.
The Kanungu Cult: Uganda's Deadliest Mass Murder On March 17, 2000, hundreds of people gathered inside a church in the remote district of Kanungu, Uganda. They believed they were about to witness the end of the world and ascend to heaven. Instead, the church burst into flames, killing everyone inside. As investigators dug deeper, they uncovered mass graves hidden across the countryside. Entire families had vanished. Children had disappeared. What was first believed to be a tragic religious suicide soon revealed itself as something far darker: one of the deadliest cult massacres in modern history. In this episode of The African Underbelly, we examine the rise of the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God, the charismatic leaders who convinced hundreds to surrender their lives and possessions, and the warning signs that were missed until it was too late. We explore the social, religious, and economic conditions that allowed the cult to flourish. This is the story of faith, manipulation, greed, and one of Africa's most chilling mass killings.