Major places of worship In Uganda

Christ the King Catholic Church

The Goan immigrant community, which had travelled to Uganda to work on the Uganda Railway, erected the church in 1930. After Ugandan Asians were forced to leave by the tyrant Idi Amin in 1972, the church saw a minor expansion to reach its current size. The church is situated on Nakasero Hill in Kampala's Central Division, at the intersection of Colville Street and Kimathi Avenue. Portal Avenue borders the church's grounds on the south.

Address: Colville Street, Kampala.

Tel: (041) 4241505.

Uganda Martyrs Catholic Shrine, Namugongo

The largest and most well-known religious tourism destination in Uganda is the Uganda Martyrs Catholic Shrine in Namugongo. The shrine can be found at Namugongo, in the central Ugandan district of Wakiso. Between 1885 and 1886, 22 Catholic martyrs were slaughtered there. In 1920, Pope Pius XI also dedicated the location, and Pope Paul VI canonised 22 saints in 1964, making them the biggest group of saints to be honored by the Catholic Church.

Pope Francis (2013), Pope Paul VI (1969), and Pope John Paul VI have all made three papal trips to the Uganda Martyrs Catholic Shrine (1993). The only country in Africa to have hosted three papal visits is Uganda.

The Namugongo Martyrs' church has 1,000 seats, 8,000 seats in pavilions, and 4,000 seats in the open theatre. The shrine supports restaurants, lodging, and other services on the church's site and in the nearby residential districts. It also features visitor interpretation centres and relaxation gardens.

The third annual religious pilgrimage takes place in June, and there are also year-round shrine visits, weekly prayers led by priests, and religious retreats, activities, and celebrations.

Munyonyo Martyrs Shrine

Munyonyo Martyrs Shrine is situated in central Uganda's Kampala City neighborhood. The first four Christians were assassinated there in 1886, and Pope Paul VI later declared them saints in 1964.

The church can accommodate up to 1050 people, and an additional 500 can sit outside. Facilities include visitor information centres and support structures outside of the church, such as dining establishments and lodging.

The yearly religious pilgrimage, priest-led prayers, meditation, and religious events are examples of tourist attractions.

St. Mary’s Rubaga Cathedral 

The main location of the Uganda Catholic Church is St. Mary's Rubaga Cathedral, the oldest Roman Catholic diocese in Uganda. The opulent church was built by French Catholic missionaries (White Fathers) beginning in 1914, finished in 1924, and dedicated in 1925.

The cathedral features 5,000 seats, recreational gardens, and privately owned support facilities both on the church campus and beyond the building. It contains the remains of the first African Catholic Bishop, the first African Catholic Bishop, and the first African Archbishop of the Kampala Diocese (Archbishop Joseph Kiwanuka Mosques Mosque, 1899–1966).

The Rubaga Cathedral is situated atop Lubaga Hill, Rubaga Division, Kampala City, about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) (by road) (west) of Kampala's central business center.

Spiritual tourism activities include prayers, year-round visits to the cathedral, meditation, events, and celebrations.

Address: Rubaga Road, Kampala.

Tel: (041) 258112.

St. Paul's Namirembe Cathedral

The largest and oldest cathedral of the Church of Uganda is St. Paul Namirembe Cathedral (also known as Namirembe Cathedral) (Anglican Church). It serves as the Church of Uganda's provincial cathedral and the cathedral for Namirembe Diocese, which was the first diocese to be established in the Church of Uganda province in 1890.

In Lubaga Division, in Kampala City, Namirembe Cathedral is situated on Namirembe Hill, some 1.2 miles (2.4 km) by road west of the city's commercial center. 800 worshipers could fit in it when it was first built in 1890, but it was dismantled a year later due to its position in a marshy area at the foot of the hill. Unfortunately, a year later, the top was destroyed by the wind, and a fire again destroyed it in 1910. In 1892, it underwent reconstruction, this time with 4,000 seats.

Clay bricks and earthen roof tiles were used in the 1915–1919 construction of the existing St. Paul's Cathedral. Even though the cathedral is still intact, it occasionally needs repairs. At the Namirembe cathedral, visitors can engage in year-round visitation, meditation, and priest-led prayers.

Address: Namirembe, Kampala.

Tel: (041) 4270212.

PENTECOSTAL CHURCHES

The Miracle Center cathedral

This Pentecostal church may be found in Rubaga I, the heart of the city. However, it should be emphasised that there are other Pentecostal churches with a sizable and expanding membership. The majority of these churches offer everyday services, although Sundays are always reserved for the main service.

In Kampala, Uganda's capital, there is a Pentecostal megachurch called The Miracle Centre Cathedral. Robert Kayanja created the church in 1991. The cathedral, which has a 10,500-seat capacity, was opened in Kampala's Rubaga neighborhood in 2004. Over 2 million Ugandans have declared faith in Christ at the crusades held by the congregation of the cathedral, according to Kayanja, who claims that they have founded over 1,000 additional Miracle Center churches throughout Uganda.

Mobile: +256 772 662926 or +256 772 451708.

Email: [email protected].

Website: www.kayanja.com

Watoto Church

Kampala Pentecostal Church (KPC), originally known as Watoto Church, is an English-speaking East African community church with its main office in Kampala, Uganda. Watoto is Swahili for "the kids."

Pastor Gary Skinner and his wife Marylin, who were Canadian missionaries, started the church in Kampala in 1984.

Prior to taking over a closed cinema and renaming it The Centre, it ran its operations out of Kampala's Imperial Hotel. Watoto now has its own campus in Kampala that was created specifically for it.

Address: 87 Kampala Road, Kampala.

Tel: (041) 4313500/12.

Fax: (041) 434-4657.

Email: [email protected].

Website: www.watotochurch.com

MOSQUES

Old Kampala National Mosque

One of the biggest mosques in Africa is the Gaddafi Mosque, also known as the Old Kampala National Mosque. Idi Amin allegedly intended to construct the biggest mosque in Africa, but he never finished the project. Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, the former leader of Libya, donated the funds for the mosque's construction and commissioning a year later as a gift to Uganda and for the benefit of the Muslim community.

There are 15,000 worshipers who can fit in the mosque's pews, 1,100 more in the gallery, and 3,500 more on the terrace. It features a library, a meeting room, and a visitors' interpretation centre.

Tourist attractions include the mosque’s unique architecture, prayers, meditation, and year-round visits to the mosque.

Nakasero Mosque

This is found on Nakasero Hill in Kampala.

Kibuli Mosque

Since 1884, Kibuli Mosque has served as the main centre for Muslims. The current mosque was constructed in 1951; the original mosque was constructed there in the late 1800s. There is a school and a hospital on the mosque's grounds.

Tourist activities include prayers, meditation, and year-round visits to the mosque. However, the site has limited interpretation facilities.

HINDU TEMPLES

BAPS Temple

In the heart of Kampala, I made a stop at another Hindu temple. I got to know a really nice woman, who cordially asked me any questions and even returned on Saturday for supper and their service. Since I didn't even know enough to start asking questions, all I got was about how their views differed from the last temple I went to. She said that one branch of Hinduism worshipped numerous gods, while this branch worshipped only one. I might come back on Saturday to find out more!

In the centre of Kampala, at Nakivubo, across from the former Shoprite, is where you'll find the temple.

Tel: (041) 4236171.

The Jain complex temple

The Jain Temple in Kampala is a recent addition to the city’s religious landscape. Built with imported marble from India, it stands as a testament to the ancient Jain religion.

This worshipping house is found on Naguru Hill, near Kampala's parents’ school.

SSDM Temple

The SSDM Temple is situated in the centre of Kampala, the capital city of Uganda, next to Nakasero Market on Bin Amir Street.

Tel: (041) 425-6036.

Shree Kutch Sasting Swaminarayan Temple.

The temple is open daily from 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and is situated along Martin Road in Kampala.

Tel: (041) 423-1334

OTHER TEMPLES

The Bahá’í Temple

The Mashriqu'l-Adhkar, commonly known as the Bahá' Mother Temple of Africa, is one of only nine Bahá' temples worldwide and the only one on the continent. It is nearly 38 meters (125 feet) tall, making it the highest building in East Africa at the time of its completion. It includes a 52-acre leisure garden that is tranquil and popular with tourists.

Religious tourism activities include prayers, meditation, regular guided visits, and marvelling at the temple’s architecture. The religion promotes unity and peace, recognizing the messengers of all major world religions.

Address: Gayaza Road, Kikaya Hill, Kampala.