Archbishop’s land plea prompts Lukwago’s call for action

4 April 2025, 11:32 am

By Ronald Ssemagonja

On 18th March 2025, the Archbishop of the Catholic Church of Uganda, Paul Ssemogerere, through his office, wrote a letter to prominent Kampala city leaders, requesting their assistance in helping the Church reclaim its land at Nakivubo.

“First and foremost, I wish to bring to your attention that the Kampala Archdiocese was allocated 83 decimals (0.84 acres) of land around the site of St Joseph Mukasa Balikuddembe and St Athenasius Bazekuketta in Mengo-Kisenyi, for purposes of devotion. Unfortunately, the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) later granted SSLOA permission to develop St Balikuddembe Market, leading to the encroachment of Church land. As a result, we were left with only 37 decimals, as evidenced by the current situation on the ground,” the Archbishop stated.

He further noted that on 14th October 2024, he wrote to the President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, regarding the challenges the Church is facing at St Balikuddembe and St Athenasius Catholic Shrine in Mengo-Kisenyi, Kampala. He specifically highlighted the need to ensure direct access to and freedom of worship at the shrine. However, he has yet to receive a formal response from the President and has requested the Minister for Kampala, Hajjat Minsa Kabanda, to follow up on the matter.

“We are in urgent need of developing the shrine, and the land is now required given that this is an international heritage site. We ask your office to assist the Kampala Archdiocese in reclaiming the encroached land so that we may develop the shrine to international standards. We kindly request your assistance,” he concluded.

The letter was addressed directly to the Minister for Kampala and Metropolitan Affairs and copied to other prominent city leaders. It was against this backdrop that the council meeting held yesterday discussed the matter.

In his remarks, the Kampala Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago, called upon fellow leaders to take immediate action. “Why this requires an urgent response is because it is a UNESCO heritage site—a site of international significance and magnitude. That is how important this matter is, and we need to react,” he said.

It has come to light that during the interim period when Frank Rusa was serving as Acting Executive Director of KCCA, he and his team withdrew the charges against businessman Hamis Kiggundu, despite the charge sheet and summons reportedly being ready, according to the Lord Mayor.

“The charge sheet was ready, but the then Acting Executive Director, Frank Rusa, and his team withdrew the charges without consulting the City Executive Committee (CEC). During his time in office, Rusa did not attend any of our CEC meetings,” said Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago.

When approached for comment, the KCCA Director for Legal Affairs stated that the decision to withdraw the charges against Hamis Kiggundu was made in the interest of seeking alternative solutions to the issue.

Similarly, the Authority Speaker, Zahrah Maala Luyirika, informed journalists that the matter has been referred to the responsible committee, and a report will be presented to the Council within two weeks. She also urged Parliament to allocate funding in the forthcoming budget for the construction of eight major drainage channels. It is worth noting that KCCA was allocated UGX 827 billion, yet the budget lacks any provision for a drainage systems master plan.

Hon. Mubiru James, Councillor for Lubaga North Division, raised concerns about how the KCCA legal team hastily withdrew the charges. A detailed report on the issue was presented to the Council by Hon. John Mary Sebuufu, a member of the City Executive Committee.