Today in History: St Peter’s Church in Ndeeba Demolished

What the report says

St Peter’s Church in Ndeeba, Kampala, was demolished overnight on August 9–10, 2020, after a long-running dispute over the land on which the Anglican church stood. The site, identified in the report as Plot 20 and 22, Block 12, had been occupied by the Church of Uganda for about four decades. The demolition took place during Uganda’s COVID-19 lockdown and nighttime curfew, which added to public concern about how the operation was carried out.

According to Nile Post, the land dispute dated back to a donation made in the 1970s by the late Dunstan Nsubuga, then Bishop of Namirembe, but members of his family later challenged the church’s claim. A High Court Land Division ruling in June 2019 favored administrators of Nsubuga’s estate, and an eviction order followed. The public article says a heavy excavator, accompanied by security personnel and hired youth, tore down the building while police were present in the area.

The destruction prompted sharp criticism from church leaders, politicians and the public. Archbishop Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu denounced the demolition, and President Yoweri Museveni also condemned it and called for investigations. The report says arrests and criminal proceedings followed, with police officers, officials and others facing legal action linked to the incident.

Nile Post also notes that the case remained active years later. In April 2025, the Court of Appeal set aside the eviction order, said the demolition was illegal, and allowed the Church of Uganda to stay on the land while ownership is reconsidered by the High Court.