The former foreign affairs minister and former Member of Parliament (MP) Mawogola North in Sembabule district Sam Kuteesa has injected sh5b towards the construction of a church and school in his area.

The church is being constructed with support from business partners in the Tororo Cement Industry.

 Kuteesa made the revelation during the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a church in Lugusuulu sub-county Mbuye parish, Sembabule district.

 Justifying his gesture for the construction of the church, Kutesa stressed, “This place is historically known for having hosted people who did not know God in 1938, but in the 1940s born again faith who were commonly known as balokole bazukufu came up.

This place used to have people who did not know God but when God-fearing people came in the 1940s with their doctrines, people started to convert to Christianity, and therefore setting up a new church in this place isn’t accidental,” Kuteesa said.

Kutesa announced the construction of the church during a thanksgiving service organized by the Members of Parliament for Mawogola North Shartsi Musherure at All Saints Church in Lugusuulu sub-county Mbuye parish, Sembabule district

The sh3b will go towards the construction of a 3000-seater church while the sh2b will go towards the reconstruction of a seven-classroom block.

The sh3b structure at All Saints Church Sembabule will serve as a memory in our community.

As a born-again Christian, Kuteesa said the reason for the construction of the church was that it served as a remembrance in the area since it was centre of worship.

In his sermon, Enock Mwanguzi vicar of All Saints Church Sembabule told them that they should always remember where they come from and give thanks to the Lord all the time.

“If you fail to remember where you came from and give thanks to the Lord, you will always lack. Remember where you came from,” Mwanguzi said.

Quoting the Bible in 2Kings 6:1:  The company of the prophets said to Elisha, “Look, the place where we meet with you is too small for us. 2 Let us go to the Jordan, where each of us can get a pole; let us build a place there for us to meet,” Muwanguzi read.

The MP Mawogola North MP, Shartsi Musherure said that they have also done groundbreaking for the Sembabule Church of Uganda to replace the old structure which the community has been using.

“We have been praying, in an old church. We got development partners who are also friends of the family who decided to come up to support us and they are from Tororo Cement,” she said.

She said the investor Hasmukh Patel is going to build a 3000-seater church and more developments are in plan.

This particular place has a history of Balokole bazukufu and my father is a product of born again who came to this area a long time ago they invested in preaching the word of God and this is a testament a remembrance a way to honour them as my father explained.

The people of Sembambule were presented with an opportunity of what they want and they are ready to take it, this is what our church leaders have done.

“The school will cost about sh2b we want to thank the family friends who have contributed, to the construction of classroom block from P,1-7 and teachers’ houses,” she said.

Communities speak

The Sembabule Resident District Commissioner Jane Francis Kagaayi praised Kuteesa for spearheading the construction of both the church and school saying that most of the schools in the district are dilapidated.

“He is a retired politician but still loves his district, and we shall continue supporting other development programmes in the school,” Kagaayi said.