Christians resume prayers in Christ the King Church after six years of construction

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Christ the King Church in Kampala has officially opened its doors to Christians after waiting for six years for the expansion works. The expansion of the church began in November 2016 with the reconstruction of the priests’ residences and the renovation and extension of the church.

According to Msgr Gerald Kalumba, the Priest of Christ the King Parish, the project faced some setbacks when Seyan Brothers, the contractor, informed the architects that the renovation and extension of the church was not possible due to the weak foundation after demolishing the priests’ houses and part of the church.

Although the cost of construction was initially estimated to be Shillings 8.8 billion, the demolition of the entire church doubled the original cost, leading to additional negotiations with the contractor last year to resume work.

While the contractor has not yet completed the work, Msgr Kalumba urged them to allow Christians to use the church for Easter.

“They have not finished yet but we had to urge them that they have been on that project for too long almost six years and Christians don’t understand why they don’t finish so we said we have to be in the Church by the Easter of this year,” Msgr Kalumba stated.

The church can now accommodate more Christians with two floors, compared to the past when some people would attend mass outside in tents.

For six years, Christians conducted their prayers in Cardinal Wamala Hall and the parking yard in the building’s basement. The church’s history dates back to 1900, as a small community of Catholics in Kampala who came from Goa, Mangalore, and South India to work on the Uganda Railways Construction project, which had reached near Kisumu in Kenya.

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