Alex Kizza: Kitwatule, Ntinda ‘official’ street preacher

Itinerant ministry is one of the foundational features of the Church. Jesus Christ Himself was an itinerant minister who took the gospel to the people.

The principal locations for the ministry of Jesus were Galilee and Judea, but the Gospels claim that he visited numerous sites across modern-day Israel, Palestine, Egypt and Lebanon. 

This itinerancy served as the impetus and inspiration for many street preachers around the world who follow Jesus to do the same.  

Alex Kiiza, Ntinda and Kiwatule’s most famous street evangelist, takes his cue from Jesus’s lead. 
His story is a testament to mobile ministry, a rootless yet rooted spirit which journeys widely and efficaciously.  

“I started preaching in the hospitals then God sent me to the prisons. I have preached in Luzira prison, in villages and many other places,” Pastor Kiiza says. 

Humble beginnings
Pastor Kiiza was born on October 1, 1991 in Fort Portal, Kabarole District.  

“My church is located in Kiwatule on Bidandi Ssali Road, it is called Prayer Mission Church International,” he says.

“I came to Kampala in 2014 and I immediately started going to churches beginning with the House of Prayer in Bat Valley, that’s where I started fellowshipping from. By then I was not so firm in my Born-Again faith and I didn’t know the right church to go to. So I moved from one church to the next,” he adds.

Pastor Kiiza, hungry to nourish his budding faith, moved to about five to six churches in Kampala.

These churches include Pastor Robert Kayanja’s Miracle Centre Cathedral, a Pentecostal über-church started in 1991 and Bishop Patrick Makumbi’s Lweza-based Healing Centre International Church.  

“I even moved all the way to Entebbe, to Kajjansi, to seek the Kingdom of God. I also fellowshipped at Grace Church Cathedral and I also ministered at Pastor Sserwadda’s Church in Ndeeba,” Pastor Kiiza reveals. 

‘Don’t pray for Museveni ‘
Pastor Kiiza drew a great deal of inspiration from Jospeh Sserwadda, the senior pastor of Victory Christian Centre in Ndeeba, and the head of the Born-Again Pentecostal faith in Uganda. 

Sserwadda was in the news last year for reportedly urging his congregants not to pray for President Museveni. 

“Those of you who are praying for the president and his family….let’s start with yours. The man you are praying for, you have no idea how much money he has. You don’t know where he’s keeping his wealth...,” he reportedly said.

Revelation
Before Pastor Kiiza became a fixture on the urban landscape of Kiwatule and Ntinda, he first needed to survive by earning a living.  

“Initially when I arrived in Kampala, I took care of my boss’s house; I also managed his washing bay in Kiwatule. I then started selling items in Kikuubo,” he says. 

Then, like the Greek philosopher Socrates who was, according to lore, visited by the Oracle of Delphi, a priestess in Ancient Greece, and told him he was the wisest man in Greece, Pastor Kiiza started having dreams. 

“God then started giving me revelations in my dreams that I explained to my evangelist friend and he said that this meant I was called to preach the word to the people. So I started reading the word and I came to Ntinda in 2016,” he said. 

It was a watershed moment for him and Ntinda. 
Choosing a strategic spot upon which to launch his ministry, he stood in front of what was then Tusky’s Supermarket and is now Fraine Supermarket, slightly below the Ntinda  commuter taxi stage by a batch of cooking gas cylinders shade. A lectern draped with a white cloth which is embroidered with a red cross and next to it is a public address speaker which blares gospel music in different languages.

Pastor Kiiza is armed with a wireless microphone speaks into it like there is no tomorrow. And, next to this spot is a group of boda boda riders who seem to banter away as they gesture and occasionally cast glances at the preacher.

“I chose this place because I sleep within a two-kilometre radius to this place so it became convenient for me. And I saw there was a lot of traffic jam here and so the gospel could attract the people caught in the jam. Usually from 5pm to around 9pm, there is always a jam. It is a business place, so busy,” he says. 

Growing ministry
Soon, Pastor Kiiza’s captive congregation started paying his word heed. Indeed, they liked his effervescence and unshakeable resolve to spread the word of God. 

“People have started asking for the location of my church. I have prayed for people and they have gotten healed. Some people who give me offertory after three weeks they come and announce to me that their business is thriving. ‘The moment I gave you my tithe, my business received more clients they tell me,” he claims. 

The six boda boda riders at the Ntinda stage have since joined his church which has on average 40 congregants every Sunday. 

Even then, he occasionally brings a immaculate white basket, and neatly places it on a small table in front of the lectern to collect offertory.

Hilda Agaba, a businesswoman, says she does not mind giving Pastor Kiiza some money because he has to survive in these tough times and above all , “he is doing God’s work. Pastor Kiiza is better than most young men who are always out there robbing or commit different crimes.” 

Saving sinners
Pastor Kiiza has had several challenges from so called non-believers. He was once mistaken for a football and kicked by a drunkard. He prayed for him to come back to the Lord and, the pastor says, the man this time kicked his drinking habit. 

Other drunkards now hide their alcohol whenever they see the pastor, possibly fearing he might smite them with fire and brimstone cascading from his pulpit. 

Also, a policeman wanted to arrest him for breaking Covid regulations. But when they reached about 50 metres away from the pastor’s pulpit and a stone’s throw away from possible jail time, the officer’s superior called and instructed the policeman to release the pastor. 

Then, there used to be prostitutes lining Ntinda Road close to Lubwama Sempagala Close opposite Total Energies fuel station and adjacent Romeo’s restaurant.

“I interceded for them and they disappeared. I have testimony, ever since I landed in Ntinda the crime rate has dropped compared to other suburbs,” he toots. 

A redeemed Ntinda
The pastor has lofty spiritual goals for Ntinda and these spell Boonabagagawale, in Salvationist terms. 

“I would like to see Ntinda people God-elevated and God-transformed. The level of faith should be increased. I want to see every household in Ntinda embrace evangelism and the gospel so that when we are preaching door to door they allow the evangelist to reach them and share with the word of God to see our town transformed,” he reveals. 

Elsewhere
Last year, residents of Mbarara City complained to the authorities, asking that street preachers be penalised because they are a nuisance.

Incident in Soroti
Joseph Omadi Etesot and his interpreter Isaac Napakol last year appeared before Soroti magistrate’s court presided over by grade one Magistrate Ms Nause Tumuhimbise where they were charged under section 122 of the Penal Code Act for allegedly wounding the religious feelings of the Muslim community. 

The duo were arrested on November 1, 2023 as they were preaching by comparing scriptures in the Holy bible and Koran.

The deputy district kadhi Mr Ramathan Ibawit  said the duo were arrested in order to ensure peace. He added that the preachhers had been tarnishing  Islam , something that angered the Muslim community in the city.

Brief bio 
Pastor Alex Kiiza was born on October 1, 1991 in Fort Portal, Kabarole District.  
“My church is located in Kiwatule on Bidandi Ssali Road, it is called Prayer Mission Church International,” he says.  
“I came to Kampala in 2014 and I immediately started going to churches beginning with the House of Prayer in Bat Valley, that’s where I started fellowshipping from. By then I was not so firm in my Born Again faith and I didn’t know the right church to go to. So I moved from one church to the next,” he says.

What others say

Melvin Muhwezi, artist: I do not hold street preachers in any regard. It is a free country and much as I have never really stopped to listen to them, I have no issue with them. Just like any person is busy selling what they have, the preachers also have what to say to those interested in the specific sermons.

Diana Agaba, Accountant: Could street preching be that one preaches to people who are on the move? Someone in the car, unless they are in a traffic hold up (or they just came to listen to you), they  will not have time to listen and understand what your message because  time  is of essence.
What they do is good, but I do not think it is effective, especially if one is to win souls for God. The word of God needs sitting one down and helping them understand how things work. 

Elizabeth Katatumba, businesswoman: I think they are doing a great job towards God’s Kingdom because I myself used to do it and I believe I can still do it if it was not for my busy work schedule. However, some of them are conmen and just do it to earn a living, making people believe in them for the wrong reasons, or get inaccurate information on what they hear. Bottomline, preaching should come as a duty. A person getting salvation depends on their response and the work of the Holy Spirit.

Esther Ainembabazi, student: 
I just think having a personal connection with a person you are sharing a word with is better than just screaming at a random crowd. Choosing a place where someone could speak calmly and collectedly helps people sit and listen attentively. Standing in the corner and shouting at people causes more harm than good, makes people uncomfortable and some end up mocking the preachers, rather than listening to them. 

Leonard Masauli, writerPreachers spread messages to a wider audience. Potentially, this reaches individuals who may not otherwise encounter such messages or those who do not go to church at all. Such preachers also serve as a form of public expression of faith and can provide a sense of community for  those who share similar beliefs. However, not everyone that holds and waves the Bible to passers-by has read it to its entirety.  May have to be careful who and what they listen to.