Church House Finally Takes Off

THE 30-year jinx over the proposed US$10m Church of Uganda House project was finally been broken by President Yoweri Museveni when he commissioned construction of the 16-storey complex on Plot 34 Kampala Road yesterday.
Alfred Wasike reports that a few moments after lifting a hoe and breaking the ground, Museveni triggered off prolonged cheers from a large audience that braved blistering sunshine when he produced a sh100m cheque and promised to raise sh300m more soon.
He also pledged to donate 10 prize bulls from his farms to the project. “I came with a cheque of sh100m. But I promised the Archbishop that I would raise for him another sh300m. I am also going to ask my daughter who now looks after my cows to select 10 bulls that we shall also donate to the project,” Museveni, accompanied by his wife, Janet said.
Construction begins in April.
The occasion turned sombre when Archbishop Livingstone Mpalanyi Nkoyooyo recalled the fate of his predecessor the late Janan Luwum, who laid the foundation stone of the Church House in 1977 to mark 100 years of the Anglican Church in Uganda and was murdered three days later on February 17, 1977.
Museveni urged religious organisations to break away from the foreign donation dependence syndrome by constructing income generating projects like Church House because it reduces the burden of fundraising on lay Christians.”
Stressing the Government’s respect for the freedom of worship, Museveni said, “I helped Muslims to build King Fahd Plaza. I hope the Catholic Church will also do something to raise money for its followers and the public. I am glad you are in the right direction. I am sure you will stand up and rise to the occasion.”
Museveni recalled, “When we were in the bush, I had an argument with some people like the late Lutakome Kayiira.
“He came to one of the places where we were operating in Kikunyu in Makulubita sub-county and tried to incite the Baganda towards federo. I opposed him and told him that our work was not to plan what Ugandans want but help people to get freedom so that they can make their own choices. This is the freedom that we cherish today.”
He criticised the Church of Uganda for not raising the required amount from among its followers who constitute at least 40% of the population and for not completing the project earlier.
“You rich looking Christians sitting here. How could you fail to build the house of God? In the 1991 census, Uganda had a population of 6.5 million Christians of the Church of Uganda.
“How could you fail to choose from among those 100,000 of them who could contribute sh300,000 each?
You could have raised sh30b, built this house and had a huge balance to do other things,” he said.
He also warned the architects saying, “I hope that this building has plans to insulate it against earthquakes.”Ends