Entebbe church collapse: 22 rescued as clashes erupt with police

Updated by Faith Barbara N Ruhinda at 1119 EAT on Tuesday 27 October 2026

At least 22 people have been rescued from the rubble of a four-storey church building that collapsed on Monday evening in Bwerenga, Katabi Town Council, Wakiso District.

The building, an extension of Holy City Church owned by ‘Brother’ Ronnie Makabai along Entebbe Road, collapsed while construction workers were on site, trapping an unknown number of people beneath the rubble.

By 9pm, police had confirmed that 22 survivors had been rescued and taken to Entebbe Grade B Hospital for treatment. A joint team comprising the Police Fire and Rescue Services and the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) continued searching the rubble for possible survivors.

As rescue operations continued, large numbers of residents gathered outside the cordoned-off site, demanding access to search for their loved ones.

David Mulindwa, a construction worker at the site, said 15 of his close colleagues were inside the building when it collapsed.

“My friends, who are like my brothers, were at the site. I arrived at 7pm, but police have blocked us from entering to help rescue them. I have been trying to call their phones, but they are switched off,” Mulindwa said.

Another worker, Alan Muganda, said he narrowly escaped the collapse after falling ill and staying home instead of reporting for work.

“I was sick on Monday and stayed home. More than 30 of my colleagues were at the site this evening. I tried calling some of them, but their phones rang without anyone answering,” Muganda said.

Tensions escalated as some residents clashed with security officers, insisting they could hear trapped victims calling for help beneath the rubble.

Police later deployed additional soldiers to push back residents who attempted to force their way into the restricted area.

ASP Edith Natukunda, the Entebbe community liaison officer, said the public had to be kept away to allow investigators to examine the scene.

“There are many people here, and tensions are high. We have to move them away to preserve the scene of crime. The regional Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and other scene-of-crime officers are still arriving,” Natukunda said.

She added that additional excavators were being mobilised from the United Nations headquarters in Entebbe, while Uganda Red Cross teams were expected to support the rescue operation.

The equipment was expected to help remove heavy concrete slabs as rescuers searched for people who might still be alive beneath the rubble.

Police said investigations into the cause of the collapse were ongoing, while the number of people who might still be trapped remained unknown.

The incident adds to a series of building collapses reported in the Kampala Metropolitan Area, renewing concerns about construction standards, professional supervision and the enforcement of building regulations.

-Observer

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