At least 22 people were pulled from the rubble of a four-storey church building that collapsed on Monday evening in Bwerenga, Katabi Town Council, Wakiso District, as anxious residents demanded access to the site to search for their missing relatives and colleagues.
The building, an extension of Holy City Church owned by Brother Ronnie Makabai along Entebbe Road, caved in while construction workers were on site, trapping an unknown number of people beneath the debris. By 9 p.m., police had confirmed that 22 survivors had been rescued and rushed to Entebbe Grade B Hospital for treatment, as a joint rescue team comprising Police Fire and Rescue Services and the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) continued searching for possible survivors.
The cause of the collapse had not been established by the time of publication. As rescue operations continued, large numbers of residents gathered outside the cordoned-off site, demanding to be allowed in to search for their loved ones. David Mulindwa, a construction worker at the site, said 15 of his close colleagues were inside the building when it collapsed.
“My friends, who are like my brothers, were on the site. I reached here at 7 p.m., but police have blocked us from entering to help rescue our brothers. I am trying to call their phones, but they are off,” Mulindwa said. Another worker, Alan Muganda, said he narrowly escaped the disaster after falling sick and staying home instead of reporting for work.
“I was sick today and stayed home. Most of my colleagues, more than 30, were on site this evening. Some I was calling, and the phones were going through without anyone picking up,” Muganda said. Tensions escalated as some residents clashed with security officers, insisting they could hear trapped victims calling for help from beneath the rubble.
Police later called in additional soldiers to push back residents who attempted to force their way into the restricted area. Assistant Superintendent of Police Edith Natukunda, the Entebbe Community Liaison Officer, said the public had to be kept away to allow investigators to examine the scene.
“People are so many, and they have become very tense. So we have to send them away as a way of preserving the scene of crime. At the moment, the Regional CID and other Scene of Crime Officers are still coming,” Natukunda said. She said additional excavators were being mobilised from the United Nations headquarters in Entebbe, while Uganda Red Cross teams were expected to support the rescue operation.
The equipment was expected to help remove heavy concrete slabs as rescuers searched for people who might still be alive beneath the debris. Police said investigations into the circumstances surrounding the collapse were ongoing, while the number of people who remained trapped, if any, had not yet been established.
The collapse adds to a series of building failures reported in the Kampala metropolitan area, raising renewed concerns about construction standards, professional supervision and enforcement of building regulations. In April 2026, the National Building Review Board reported that investigations into building accidents had previously identified several contributing factors, including the use of substandard materials, employment of unqualified personnel, alterations to approved designs, inadequate inspections and disregard for building regulations.
The board has also been working with professional bodies and local authorities to strengthen compliance with construction standards. In March 2026, amendments to Uganda’s Building Control law took effect, introducing reforms intended to strengthen oversight, improve compliance and increase accountability in the construction sector. However, recurring building collapses continue to raise questions about the effectiveness of enforcement, particularly at construction sites in rapidly urbanising areas.
Authorities are yet to establish whether structural defects, construction practices or other factors contributed to Monday’s collapse at Holy City Church. The rescue operation was still ongoing as police and other emergency teams worked to establish the full extent of the incident-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
