General
Archbishop Rededicates Expanded St. Francis Chapel
On Sunday 9th July 2017, St. Francis faithful, invited guests and well-wishers assembled at Makerere University to praise, worship and thank the Almighty God for their newly refurbished and expanded sanctuary-the magnificent St. Francis Chapel. The Chapel’s capacity expanded from 450 to 1,350 seats per service.
Uplifted by the wonderful messages in the songs of praise, the congregation that filled both the St. Francis Chapel interior and gardens to capacity listened attentively to the Head-Laity Eng. Moses Kulabako who highlighted that the chapel extension project had lasted 14 months. The report on Chapel Finances, read by the Treasurer indicated that the total collections towards chapel expansion from 2012 to 30th June 2017 was UGX 2.315billion.
The Chaplain, St. Francis Chapel, Rev. Canon Amos Turyahabwe exalted the Almighty God for the ever growing congregation at St. Francis that resulted in the expansion of the chapel.
“For the past many months, the population has been growing, necessitating the introduction of three main English services at 7:00am, 9:00am and 11:00am and one special Lugbara service at 1:00pm. However despite this innovation the capacity of the Chapel was not sufficient to the extent that almost 50% of the congregation could either sit outside in the tent or under the mango tree and upstairs side aisles where they had no view of the existing chapel proceedings,” revealed the Chaplain.
The Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, The Most Rev. Stanley Ntagali congratulated St. Francis Community and Makerere University upon the successful completion of the Chapel extension project. He prayed to the heavens to bless St. Francis community, Chapel Council, Chaplain and the Makerere University family for generous contribution towards fulfilling God’s work.
“We are here today to celebrate the opening of this extended Chapel. Indeed, this is the day that that Lord has brought to us and we should be glad in it. As we rededicate this church, we need to thank Him for this far He has brought us. This has been greatly possible with your generous contributions. Those who will come after you will know that you did a great work,” he said.
Dedicating the expanded chapel to the Almighty God, Archbishop Ntagali said:
“Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, now that we have completed building, let us dedicate this house and rejoice in its holy use, to the glory of God who has called us by grace, to the honour of Jesus Christ who loved us and gave up himself for us; and for the praise of the Holy Spirit who illuminates and sanctifies us…”
Archbishop Ntagali appealed to the St. Francis Community to always make good use of the facility, maintain its magnificent beauty and also remain supportive to the activities of the Church. He thanked Makerere University administration for supporting St. Francis and availing the Church with more space for expansion.
The Guest of Honour, Rt. Hon. Prof. Apolo Nsibambi who was represented by Prof. Edward Kirumira-Principal of the College of Humanities Social Sciences (CHUSS) re-echoed that he enjoyed the spiritual nourishment and grooming from St. Francis Chapel while a student and member of staff at Makerere University. He thanked the current and former chaplains and their pastoral teams for shaping university students into responsible citizens.
“It is now 56 years ago when I was here at St. Francis Chapel as a student, but also later as a professor of Makerere University. It was good for us because we would sit as a small number and listen to sermons, be mentored and prepared to be leaders of this nation. Now that the Chapel has been expanded to create more space, it is really great work worth celebrating since it will increase on the number of students who participate in church activities.” Prof. Nsibambi wrote.
He expressed his gratitude to the staff of Makerere University and the alumni who after their studies keep coming back to St. Francis as their church. He mentioned that it is their love and generous contributions that have given the Chaplain and the chapel council the morale to plan and be able to come up with structures such as the beautiful sanctuary that was being rededicated to God.
Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Finance and Administration) on behalf of the Vice Chancellor Prof. John Ddumba-Ssentamu congratulated the St. Francis Community upon the wonderful achievement. He thanked the community and well-wishers for their enormous contribution towards the Chapel extension project. Prof. Nawangwe-a professional architect by training, applauded the Chapel technical committee chaired by Eng. Paul Ekirikubinza for coming up with magnificent architectural designs.
At the same occasion, Prof. Nawangwe who is also the Vice Chancellor-Elect thanked the Members of St. Francis Chapel for praying for him to reach greater heights. He vowed to selflessly serve the community during his tenure as Vice Chancellor.
The Chapel rededication service was attended by members of clergy, former chaplains of St. Francis Chapel, Makerere University staff, members of St. Francis Community, Makerere University students, invited guests and well-wishers. The colourful service was regularly punctuated by songs of praise from a number of teams including the Children’s Choir.
Rev. Canon Amos Turyahabwe also saluted his predecessors for their vision in running the affairs and the programmes of St. Francis Chapel. “We would like to thank God for them and we pledge our commitment to continue on the firm foundation that they started so that we are able to have a sense of continuity as a body of Christ.”
Article by: Mak Public Relations Office
The Makerere University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe has today, Friday, 26th June 2026 handed over the CCE (Complex) Hall of Residence Site to National Enterprise Corporation (NEC) Managing Director and CEO, Lieutenant General James Mugira for renovation and overhaul works. The UGX 12billion Government of Uganda-funded works, expected to be completed within a year, are the fourth project to be undertaken by NEC. They were preceded by; construction of the University Perimeter Wall, Renovation of Lumumba Hall, and Renovation of Mary Stuart Hall.
NEC’s Record Lauded
Prof. Nawangwe in his remarks at the handover ceremony lauded these projects. “The quality of work done by NEC makes us proud because we can finally say that we have Ugandans who can do the things, which we previously depended on foreigners to do.” He therefore thanked the Government of Uganda for fully funding the projects and the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Hon. Janet Museveni, whose visit set the renovation projects in motion.
The Vice Chancellor added that as the Alma mater for most members of both the Contractor and Project Management Teams, this was a moment of great pride as their expertise and skills have saved the country billions of taxpayers’ money. “Thank you for being patriotic”, he commended.
Prof. Nawangwe concluded by noting that CCE Hall, by virtue of its location, provides a first impression of Makerere University as a whole. He therefore urged the contractor to ensure that upon renovation, CCE Hall would create a memorable and lasting first impression, exceeding even that of the renovated Mary Stuart Hall.
A Project Fueled by Nostalgia
Speaking of impressions, Lt. Gen. Mugira, with nostalgia recalled that close to 42 years ago, he not only attended his first lectures in Hall 1 of the CCE Complex but also, on a more personal note added, “my wife was a resident, and so I have every motivation to put in a lot of effort and make sure that I deliver more than was done with Mary Stuart and Lumumba.”
He therefore extended heartfelt appreciation to his Alma mater Makerere University for the trust and confidence bestowed in NEC, which underscored their ability to deliver. “Trust is earned through performance, through integrity and consistency, and your decision to engage us motivates us to work even harder to exceed your expectations.”
In his remarks, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Finance and Administration) Prof. Henry Alinaitwe reechoed the need to ensure that the project is executed with adherence to the cost, quality, specifications and safety related issues as earlier shared by the Acting (Ag.) Chief Engineer of Estates and Works, Eng. Ezra Sekadde.
“NEC has already demonstrated this (with previous projects), and that is why we have all the confidence that you can deliver this project within 12 months” remarked Prof. Alinaitwe. He equally lauded the Project Management Team (PMT) led by Arch. Dr. Kenneth Ssemwogerere whose supervision ensures timely project completion.
Relatedly, Arch. Dr. Semwogerere was on 25th June 2026, the eve of the handover, promoted to the rank of Associate Professor, a milestone Prof. Alinaitwe attributed to his track record as Head of PMT. He therefore, on a light note, urged him to keep up the good work as this could equally contribute to his promotion to the rank of full Professor.
Also present at the handover ceremony was the Principal, College of Education and External Studies (CEES) Prof. Anthony Mugagga, whose unit will be greatly affected by the renovations. He nevertheless welcomed and reiterated his full support for the project, noting that just as renovation of Lumumba and Mary Stuart Halls had resulted in many alumni revisiting, the CCE Complex would upon renovation attract former residents and teaching professionals to give back or forge new partnerships.
Student Welfare at the Forefront
On her part, the Dean of Students Dr. Winifred Kabumbuli lauded the renovations of Halls of Residence as a clear demonstration of Government’s dedication to the improvement of student welfare, and creating an environment conducive for nurturing responsible citizens who can contribute to national development. She pledged her Office’s and the Student Leadership’s readiness to ensure that the renovated facilities used responsibly for the benefit of future generations.
As a resident of the recently renovated Mary Stuart Hall, 92nd Guild President H.E. Kadondi Gracious could not help but appreciate how impactful the renovation of CCE Hall would be to student welfare. “The female students will be very excited (to occupy CCE Hall) but the male students will be left complaining – so we shall be expecting more renovations, not just for the female but also the male students,” she amiably concluded.
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