About Us

Situation in the Diocese

There are 32 parishes with almost 200 congregational Churches. These are administered through 5 Archdeaconaries – Kasaka, Mpigi, Maddu, Mpenja, and Kaggulwe

The diocese is 90% rural, with a population of 600,000 of whom 80 percent are Christians. There is also a growing Muslim community. The cultural and social atmosphere is very inclusive with an ecumenical spirit of welcome and integration of other tribes and ethnic groupings who come from other parts of Uganda to settle. The tribe of Baganda people and their culture is pre-dominant in the area and the Luganda language is the most widely spoken. English is also spoken by quite a number of people because it is the official language in the country and taught in all schools.

The diocese and entire population in the area depend much on subsistence farming. Some people do cattle farming, and there was substantial economic progress during the early years. However, this trend was reversed in a drastic way by the civil wars of 1979 and 1980-86. During that dark period people lost much of their property, houses were destroyed, animals were stolen, and their farms and crops were abandoned. Another major challenge in the area has been the collapse of the Coffee industry as a result of the coffee-disease which plagued much of the country. Coffee, for many years, has been the main source of income for the people of Uganda, and for this area in particular.

Although the diocese registered signs of significant development in the beginning, it is much poorer today than when it first started, and there are several factors that have contributed to this.

1. The people of Uganda, and of this area in particular, have suffered from the severe “drought” which has persisted in the country for a long time. People no longer have meaningful sources of income, as many of their animals (cows and goats) and crops died.
2. HIV/AIDS has claimed a great number of people who were highly productive in this area. The diocese has one of the highest numbers of AIDS victims (patients, orphans, and widows) in the country.
3. The current economic situation is precarious as the diocese still depends entirely on Sunday collections from these impoverished people. This situation has greatly challenged Christians both spiritually and morally. Many of them are frustrated with the un-ending economic pressures in the family, plus the un-ending financial appeals made by the church every time they come to worship. As a result, many Christians decide to avoid church and there is great need today for revival and empowerment throughout the whole diocese.
4. Bishop Jackson Matovu and his administrative staff have great plans for the diocese but are faced with the greatest challenge of running the diocese without money. A lot of financial support is needed to help the diocese with its budget. The annual diocesan budget is $50,000 U.S dollars. Much of this goes toward buying petroleum/gas, paying pastors and staff salaries, running some of the ministries and departments of the diocese, etc, but unfortunately, the diocese realizes only 1/3 of the budget every year!
5. The road system is very poor. Although there is a Trans African highway which runs from the Indian Ocean port of Mombasa in Kenya, through the diocese, to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda in the west, most of the feeder roads in the diocese are still poor. The government is trying to improve them, but most parts of the diocese can only be reached during the dry season. You must have a 4-wheel vehicle during the rain season to drive through. And there is, still, no electricity and running water, in most parts of the diocese.

The Cathedral of St. John's, Kasaka

The Cathedral of St. John’s, Kasaka, stands conspicuous on a beautiful hill, and serves as the face of the diocese, and is the first prominent building to be noticed by anyone visiting the diocese.

The name of this church “Kasaka,” was derived from the small bush “akasaka” that occupied the beautiful hill where the church is located.

Early fishermen from nearby lake (Lake Wamala) while traveling to Kampala, used to relax on this hill, under a big tree which formed part of this bush. With a sitting capacity of 700 people, the church was first constructed in the early years of the 20th century. Canon Ezra Kamya (the late), who was the Archdeacon of Gomba is remembered for the great work he did in erecting and laying structures for the present church. And the church has constantly been extended and modified by the local congregation (with assistance of friends) to the extent of putting in magnificent glass windows.

Nevertheless, the cathedral still lacks modest chairs or seats for the growing congregation and a sound system in the sanctuary. It also needs an office for the Dean, an inventory room, and office equipment including a photocopier, computer with a printer, and more..

Also, work on repair of the cathedral roof is overdue due to the serious leakage which started recently. The corrugated iron roofing needs to change and put new roofing with more strong construction. The estimated cost for this work is $30,000 U.S dollars.