Anglican dioceses of Buganda explained

The Anglican dioceses of Buganda are the Anglican presence in the Central Region, Uganda (equivalent to the old Buganda kingdom); they are part of the Church of Uganda. The remaining dioceses of the Church are in the areas of Eastern Uganda, of Northern Uganda, of Ankole and Kigezi, and of Rwenzori.

Diocese of Namirembe

The first Anglican church structure in what is now Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania was the Diocese of Eastern Equatorial Africa, which was erected in June 1884. The first bishop was James Hannington, who made the diocesan headquarters at Mombassa, but he was assassinated (martyred) on 8 February 1886. The third Bishop of Eastern Equatorial Africa, Alfred Tucker, resolved to divide the diocese: he stayed on Bishop of Uganda, while Kenya and part of northern Tanganyika became the Diocese of Mombasa;^[1] the division was effected in 1898.

From then until 1926 — when the Diocese of Upper Nile was dividing from it — the Diocese of Uganda included all Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, in what was then the country of Zaire. On 1 July 1960, in preparation for the formation of an independent church province, the diocese was split in five: one of the smaller new dioceses retained the same bishop and became the Diocese of Namirembe (so her bishop became Bishop of Namirembe). After the division, the diocese's territory was East Buganda and Busoga.

Brown was elected to become the first archbishop of the new province and took up the post in 1961, when the eight dioceses were erected into the Church of the Province of Uganda and Ruanda-Urundi. The arrangement whereby the Archbishop was elected ended in 1977, when the Bishop of Kampala became Archbishop ex officio.

Since 1890, throughout its many changes, the diocese's mother church has been St Paul's Cathedral, on Namirembe hill in Kampala. The current building is the fifth Namirembe Cathedral on the same site.

Bishops of Eastern Equatorial Africa

• 1884–1885: James Hannington
• 1886–1888: Henry Parker
• 1890–1899 Alfred Tucker^[2]

Bishops of Uganda

• 1899–1908: Alfred Tucker^[2]
• 1912–1934: John Willis
• 1934–1953: Cyril Stuart
  • 19471960 (ret.): Aberi Balya, assistant bishop^[3] for Tooro, Bunyoro, Ankole and Kigezi^[4]
  • 1951 - 1960: Jim Brazier (became first diocesan Bishop of Ruanda-Urundi)
  • June 19521960: Festo Lutaya, assistant bishop (became first diocesan of West Buganda)
• 1953–1960 Leslie Brown
  • 5 May 19571960: Kosiya Shalita, assistant bishop
  • 1 May1 July 1960: Erica Sabiti, assistant bishop

In 1957, preparing for the split into five dioceses, Brown oversaw the creation of five "areas", to be overseen by himself and his four suffragans:

• Ruanda-Urundi had already been under Brazier's oversight since 1951
• April/May 1957 onwards: Lutaya had the West Buganda area
• 5 May 1957 onwards: Shalita, for Ankole-Kigezi (became first diocesan Bishop of Ankole-Kigezi)
• 9 May 1957 onwards: Brown took direct oversight of the East Buganda and Busoga area
• 16 May 1957before 1 May 1960: Balya was assistant bishop for Toro-Bunyoro until his retirement
• 1 May 1960 onwards: Sabiti succeeded Balya over Toro-Bunyoro-Mboga (became first bishop diocesan of Rwenzori)

On the split in 1960, the five men became diocesan bishops of their areas.

Bishops of Namirembe

• 196021 November 1965 (ret.): Leslie Brown, Archbishop of Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi from 1961
• 21 November 19651985: Dunstan Nsubuga, first indigenous bishop (assistant since 1964)
• 1985–1994: Misaeri Kauma (assistant bishop 1975–1985)^[5]
• 1994–2009: Samuel Ssekkadde
• 2009–present: Kityo Luwalira (consecrated and installed 31 May 2009)

Diocese of West Buganda

One of the five dioceses erected in 1960 from the Uganda diocese was that of West Buganda. Lutaya (an assistant bishop) was made the first Bishop of West Buganda; in 1964, he moved the diocesan headquarters from Masaka to his hometown Mityana, which caused trouble in Masaka.^[6] The controversy rolled on and delayed Tomusange's enthronement in September 1966. Her cathedral has been St Paul's Cathedral, Kako (in Masaka) since before 1974.^[7]

Bishops of West Buganda

• 1960–1965 (ret.): Festo Lutaya^[8]
• 1965 - ?: Stephen Tomusange (previously an assistant bishop on the Upper Nile)
• before 1986before 2001: Christopher Senyonjo
• Samuel Ssemakula
• 23 January 2011^[9] 31 May 2015 (d.):^[10] Godfrey Makumbi
• 28 August 2016present: Henry Katumba Tamale

Diocese of Kampala

See also: Archbishop of Uganda. Founded in 1972 from Namirembe diocese,^[11] the diocesan bishop of Kampala has always been Archbishop of Uganda. (They are never called Archbishop of Kampala; there is a Roman Catholic Archbishop of Kampala.) Because of the archbishop's national duties, there have often been assistant bishops in the diocese; the cathedral is All Saints on Nakasero hill, central Kampala.

Assistant Bishops of Kampala

Assistant bishops have included:^[12]

• 1983 - 1997: Lucas Gonahasa (previously Assistant Bishop of Bukedi)
• ^[13] 2004 (ret.):^[14] Eliphaz Maari
• 30 January 2005June 2012 (ret.):^[15] Zac Niringiye
• 10 December 2006?: David Sebuhinja, assistant for the Provincial Secretariat^[16]
• 2 September 2007?: John Guernsey, bishop for COU congregations in the USA
• 2014 - present: Hannington Mutebi

Diocese of Mityana

Erected from West Buganda and inaugurated on 22 May 1977, the Diocese of Mityana has its bishop's seat at St Andrew's Cathedral, Namukozi.^[17]

Bishops of Mityana

• 19771989: Yokana Mukasa
  • 22 January 1989^[18] ?: Wilson Mutebi
• January 20022008: Dunstan Bukenya
• 26 October 20082020: Stephen Kaziimba^[19] (became Archbishop of Uganda and Bishop of Kampala)^[20]
• 2 February 2020present:^[21] James Bukomeko^[22]

Diocese of Mukono

Mukono diocese was divided from Namirembe diocese in 1983, when Mpalanyi-Nkoyoyo, an assistant bishop of Namirembe, was elected the new diocese's first bishop. The mother church is SS Andrew & Philip Cathedral, Mukono.

Bishops of Mukono

• 19831995: Livingstone Mpalanyi Nkoyoyo (previously assistant bishop of Namirembe;^[23] became Archbishop of Uganda)
• November 1995^[24] June 2002 (ret.):^[25] Michael Senyimba
• 30 June 2002September 2010 (ret.):^[26] Paul Luzinda
• 19 September 201026th February 2023: James Ssebaggala

Rt Rev Enos Kitto Kagodo

• 26 February 2023 Present

Diocese of Luweero

Founded from the Diocese of Namirembe in 1991,^[27] the cathedral is St Mark's, Luweero.

Bishops of Luweero

• 8 December 19911996: Mesusera Bugimbi
• 1996–2015: Evans Mukasa
• 17 May 2015^[28] present: Eridard Nsubuga

Diocese of Central Buganda

In 1995, the Diocese of Central Buganda was created by splitting territory from the West Buganda diocese. The cathedral is at Kasaka, St John's.

Bishops of Central Buganda

• 1995–2001: George Sinabulya^[29]
• 2001–2016: Jackson Matovu
• 29 January 2017present: Micheal Lubowa^[30]

See also

• Anglican dioceses of Ankole and Kigezi
• Anglican dioceses of Eastern Uganda
• Anglican dioceses of Northern Uganda
• Anglican dioceses of Rwenzori
• List of Roman Catholic dioceses in Uganda

References

1. Mung'ong'o, Phanuel L. & Matonya, Moses. "The Anglican Church of Tanzania", in Ian S. Markham, J. Barney Hawkins, IV, Justyn Terry, Leslie Nuñez Steffensen (eds) The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to the Anglican Communion (p. 255)
2. Web site: Eighteen Years in Uganda and East Africa . . 1908 . 2013-09-24 .
3. "The Anglican Episcopate: Dioceses in Africa" in Clifford P. Morehouse (ed.) The Episcopal Church Annual, 1957 (New York: Morehouse-Gorham) (p. 382)
4. Web site: DACB . 2012-06-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120510042747/http://dacb.org/stories/uganda/balya_aberi.html . 2012-05-10 . dead .
5. https://dacb.org/stories/uganda/kauma-misaeri/ Dictionary of African Christian Biography - Kauma, Misaeri Kitemaggwa
6. "The Church in the Emerging Republic, 1960–1971" in David Zac Niringiye, The Church in the World: A Historical-Ecclesiological Study of the Church of Uganda with Particular Reference to Post-Independence Uganda, 1962–1992 (Carlisle: Langham, 2016) 978-1-78368-119-8 (p. 176)
7. "Returning to Uganda" in Christopher Senyonjo, In Defense of All God’s Children: The Life and Ministry of Bishop (New York: Morehouse, 2016) 978-0-81923-244-1 (p. 23)
8. "No Longer Bishop", in The Living Church, Volume 151 (19 July 1965, p. 5)
9. https://ugandaradionetwork.com/story/requiem-mass-for-bishop-makumbi-underway-in-masaka Uganda Radio Network — Requiem Mass Underway for Fallen West Buganda Bishop
10. https://www.observer.ug/lifestyle/sizzling-faith/38252-bishop-makumbi-goes-to-rest-at-52 The Observer — Bishop Makumbi goes to rest at 52
11. "Chronology of the Creation of Dioceses, 1960–1992" in Niringiye, The Church in the World (p. 398)
12. https://dioceseofkampala.com/History.html Diocese of Kampala — History
13. https://www.newvision.co.ug/new_vision/news/1132371/kampala-bishop New Vision — Kampala gets bishop
14. https://www.anglicannews.org/news/2004/08/provincial-secretary-and-cms-official-named-new-bishops-in-uganda.aspx Anglican Communion News Service — Provincial Secretary and CMS official named new bishops in Uganda
15. https://observer.ug/news-headlines/16871-bishop-niringiye-to-retire-7-years-early The Observer — Bishop Niringiye to retire 7 years early
16. https://churchofuganda.org/articles/237 Church of Uganda — Archbishop's Charge to 19th Provincial Assembly, 26–29 August 2008
17. http://www.mityanadiocese.org/index.php Mityana Diocese
18. https://www.newvision.co.ug/new_vision/news/1088154/mityana-bishop New Vision — Mityana gets new Bishop
19. http://www.mityanadiocese.org/index.php/the-bishop Mityana Diocese — The Bishop
20. https://www.anglicannews.org/news/2019/08/bishop-of-mityana-stephen-kaziimba-elected-to-serve-as-next-archbishop-of-uganda.aspx Anglican Communion News Service — Bishop of Mityana, Stephen Kaziimba, elected to serve as next Archbishop of Uganda
21. Web site: New Mityana Bishop Bukomeko Installed.
22. http://www.mityanadiocese.org/index.php/the-bishop Mityana Diocese
23. https://www.anglicannews.org/news/2018/01/death-announced-of-former-primate-of-uganda-archbishop-livingstone-mpalanyi-nkoyoyo.aspx Anglican Communion News Service — Death announced of former Primate of Uganda, Archbishop Livingstone Mpalanyi-Nkoyoyo
24. http://www.greateducatorsug.org/senyimba.html Great Educators — Ssenyimba
25. https://www.newvision.co.ug/new_vision/news/1061484/mukono-bishop New Vision — Mukono Gets New Bishop
26. https://www.newvision.co.ug/new_vision/news/1282487/bishop-paul-luzinda-retires New Vision — Bishop Paul Luzinda retires
27. https://ugandaradionetwork.net/story/bishop-bugimbi-burial-for-monday Uganda Radio Network - Bishop Bugimbi Burial For Monday
28. https://www.anglicannews.org/news/2015/01/two-new-bishops-for-the-church-of-uganda.aspx Anglican Communion News Service — Two new bishops for the Church of Uganda
29. Web site: Diocese of Central Buganda — Historical Background . 2019-11-04 . 2019-11-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191104184047/https://www.centralbuganda.com/historical-background.html . dead .
30. https://www.newvision.co.ug/new_vision/news/1442200/consecration-central-buganda-bishop New Vision — Consecration of Central Buganda Bishop to go on