By Wilberforce Kawere and Mike Musisi-Musoke
Mukono diocese on Sunday celebrated forty years of existence having been carved out of Namirembe Diocese in 1984, with installation of the late Dr. Livingstone Mpalanyi Nkoyooyo as its first bishop.
Four successive bishops have since been installed after Nkoyooyo, who was succeeded by the late Dr. Michael Ssenyimba as the second bishop, followed by Eria Paul Luzinda Kizito, James William Ssebaggala and Enos Kitto Kagodo who is the substantive bishop.
Officiating at the anniversary celebrations, the Archbishop of the Province of the Church of Uganda, Dr. Stephen Samuel Kazimba Mugalu, himself a former Provost of Mukono Cathedral, decried moral degeneration in Uganda, with many communal projects stalling following theft of usables.
He charged the clergy to initiate a campaign of beginning the gospel of instilling in believers what he called the gospel of humanism so that the forty years of the diocese’s existence reflect humility, self-respect and a high degree of high morality.
Dr. Kazimba regretted that in Uganda today all institutions including schools, hospitals, security agencies and other public offices are characterized by a state of rot, and called upon the church to take a leading role in changing the embarrassing situation.
On construction of the new cathedral, Kazimba said it is long overdue. He added, “With two archbishops coming from Mukono, and with high calibre ministers in neighbouring countries having been trained in Mukono at Bishop Tucker Theoretical College, the current day Uganda Christian University (UCU), we should be boasting of the best cathedral in the region”.
The anniversary celebrations coincided with World Aids Day, and Mukono Diocesan Bishop, Enos Kitto Kagodo appealed to communities not to discriminate against people living with HIV, and fight all forms of discrimination.
The bishop lamented that as the diocese is celebrating all-round development, many homes go hungry, and implored all stakeholders to be key players in changing this state of affairs.
At the function, Bp. Kagodo declared that Maama Ruth Nkoyooyo, widow of the late Archbishop, is to be awarded with the honorary title of a Canon, and that she will be canonized on December 15, 2024.
The chairman of the cathedral building committee, Dr. Livingstone Ssewanyana disclosed that a total of sh385,864,000 out of the required shs7bn has been realized. Dr. Ssewanyana further said that the plan for the new cathedral was approved by Mukono Municipality and that any time from now, the construction works will be commencing.
