COST OF UNAPPROVED CONSTRUCTION! One Dead, 25 Rescued After Bro. Ronnie Makabai’s Holy City Church Collapse
One person has been confirmed dead and 25 others rescued following the collapse of a four-storey building under construction at Holy City Church in Bwerenga, Katabi Town Council, Wakiso District.
The deceased has been identified as Francis Lukwago, a builder who was working at the site when the structure collapsed on Monday evening. The building was an extension of the main church belonging to Brother Ronnie Makabai’s ministry.
Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Rachel Kawala said 25 male adults had so far been rescued from the rubble, revising the earlier figure of 23.
The victims are receiving treatment at Kisubi Hospital and Entebbe Grade B Hospital. Kawala said search and rescue operations were continuing to establish whether more people remained trapped beneath the debris.
Kisubi Hospital said in a statement that it began receiving casualties at about 5:30 p.m. on Monday. By the time of its update, the hospital had received 13 patients, two of whom had been discharged while 11 remained admitted.
Of those admitted, 10 were in stable condition, while one was critically ill in the Intensive Care Unit, receiving care from a multidisciplinary medical team.
The site remains cordoned off, with police and the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) deployed to support the rescue operation. Authorities have declared the area a crime scene and restricted access to rescue personnel and investigators.
Residents gathered outside the church premises as the operation continued. Some feared their relatives were still trapped beneath the debris and accused security personnel of preventing them from accessing the site to search for their loved ones.
Journalists covering the joint operation by the Police Fire and Rescue Services and the UPDF were also kept several metres away from the scene. Congregants who had gathered to pray were similarly prevented from approaching the site.
Meanwhile, the National Building Review Board (NBRB) has launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the collapse.
NBRB spokesperson Herbert Ziwa said investigators were still at the scene collecting preliminary evidence.
Katabi Town Council Mayor Frank Kajjura said the council had not approved the construction and that the town engineer had not inspected or cleared the site.
“I called my Town Council Engineer, Kenneth Bagonza, to ask whether he had cleared this construction, and he told me he had never stepped on this site and never cleared these people. When I asked the town agent, he said he visited the place but was denied access to the premises, so we have no hand in this construction,” Kajjura said.
In a statement dated October 26, 2026, Bro. Ronnie Ministries said it was cooperating with the relevant authorities, including police, to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The ministry appealed to the public to remain calm and avoid speculation as investigations continue, adding that further updates would be communicated through official channels.
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