Christians renew call for Kayunga Diocese
Retired Mukono Diocese bishop James William Ssebaggala (left) during the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of St Luke’s Chapel in Kayunga Town on Sunday. PHOTO | FRED MUZAALE
What you need to know:
- Bishop Ssebaggala, who is now retired, still believes Kayunga cannot support its own diocese.
Christians in Kayunga District have renewed their demand for a new diocese, separate from Mukono Diocese of the Church of Uganda. This campaign first began in 2020 but was dismissed at the time by the then Bishop of Mukono Diocese, Rt Rev James William Ssebaggala, who said the idea was just “excitement” by a section of Christians in the area.
Bishop Ssebaggala, who is now retired, still believes Kayunga cannot support its own diocese. Although his father was from Kayunga and served as a church leader, the bishop says the area lacks enough people and resources to sustain a diocese. But in their renewed campaign, Christians in Kayunga say this is an issue that can’t just be brushed aside. “We made our demand to have an independent diocese from Mukono way back in 2020, and it is well documented in the Mukono Diocese books.
What I want to say is that we are quiet, but planning,” Mr Grace Katabalwa, the Namagabi Parish head of music, said in an interview with Daily Monitor on Sunday. Mr Katabalwa said as part of their preparations for the proposed diocese, they have renovated and expanded St Stephen’s Church. Mr Robert Lwasa, head of the laity in Namagabi Parish, said they have also started income-generating projects to help support the future diocese. One of these is a hostel in Kayunga Town, which he said would economically sustain the diocese when it is created.
“Construction of the hostel is already complete. This shows that we are serious and getting ready for a new diocese,” Mr Lwasa said. Still, not everyone is convinced. A priest in Kayunga, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the district is too small to have its own diocese. “I would support the idea, but when you look at Kayunga, I think it is very small.
Maybe if some parts of Mukono District are added here,” the clergyman said. Mukono Diocese comprises four districts: Mukono, Kayunga, Buikwe, and Buvuma. Ms Margaret Ssempala, a Christian and local leader, said they are doing their best to meet all the requirements for a diocese.
“One of the requirements is having a good income that will sustain the diocese and the number of Christians in the area. All these require our concerted efforts to meet, and we are steadily moving in that direction,” Ms Ssempala said. Mr Robert Lwasa Kigongo, one of the elders at St Stephen’s Church, said they cannot fail to sustain the diocese since the church has 50 acres of land in Namagabi, which he said, would accommodate all diocesan projects.
Kayunga already hosts several church projects under Mukono Diocese, including St Paul Primary Teacher’s College in Nazigo, Bishop Brown Technical and Vocational Institute in Namagabi and Centenary Community College. Despite all this, Bishop Ssebaggala stood by his earlier stance, saying Kayunga is not ready to have a diocese.
“Having a diocese is like building a house. When building a house, you must start with a foundation. If the foundation is weak, then the house is likely to collapse within a short time,” the retired prelate said while addressing the media after officiating at the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of St Luke’s Church in Kayunga Town, where he represented Mukono Diocese Bishop Enos Kitto Kagodo on Sunday. He added that at the moment, the number of Christians in Kayunga cannot sustain a diocese if it is granted.
“There are many Christians here, but those who go to Church are still very few. Maybe what I can advise Christians in this area is that let them mobilise more believers to go to church and also get involved in church development activities, by doing so their demands can be fulfilled,” Bishop Ssebaggala advised.
Challenges
The prelate explained that challenges like payment of salaries for the clergy, lack of church development projects, maintaining the archdeaconry, among others need to be addressed first before Kayunga gets a diocese. He also advised Christians to focus more on constructing new churches, saying having many churches is good and will help to take the gospel nearer to the believers.
“When I became bishop in 2010, I found six archdeaconries, but by the time I left, they had become 12. Additionally, the parishes, which were 43 by the time I retired, were 73, and the diocese budget, which was Shs624m, shot up to Shs6b,” he said. Bishop Ssebaggala said all this was possible through hard work and mobilisation of believers to go to church. The prelate said the new St Luke's Church, which is to be constructed near Kayunga Regional Referral Hospital, will offer spiritual healing to patients admitted at the health facility.
ABOUT KAYUNGA
Kayunga District has a population of about 360,000 people. It is made up of five town councils and eight sub-counties. There is also a proposal to add Kasawo Town Council and Kasawo Sub-county to the planned diocese. Most people in Kayunga rely on small-scale farming to support their families. Currently, Kayunga is part of Mukono Diocese, which was created in 1984 after being split from Namirembe Diocese. Mukono Diocese has several archdeaconries such as Ndeeba, Seeta, Bukoba, Ngogwe, Lugazi, Nakibizzi, and Kangulumira.
The Church of Uganda is made up of 39 dioceses across the country. These dioceses are usually named after regions, cities, or important landmarks. Each diocese is led by a bishop and has a diocesan office that supports priests and church activities in its parishes and congregations.
