Tears, uncertainty as Church building collapses
“The sombre atmosphere, punctuated by desperate cries from relatives searching for their loved ones, engulfed Bwerenga village in Wakiso's Katabi town council, following the collapse of a four-storey structure under construction at Holly City church of Brother Ronnie ministries on Monday evening.”
A crying mother claimed that three of her children remained trapped under the rubble. (Courtesy)
_________________ A crying mother claimed that three of her children remained trapped under the rubble. (Credit: Julius Luwemba)
Ambulances snaked through the dusty streets of Kawuku-Bwerenga in Wakiso district on Monday (October 26), their sirens piercing the evening air as they raced back and forth from the rubble of the collapsed church building belonging to Pastor Ronnie Makabai.
With every ambulance leaving the scene, anxious residents were left wondering whether it was carrying an injured survivor or a lifeless body.
The sombre atmosphere, punctuated by desperate cries from relatives searching for their loved ones, engulfed Bwerenga village in Wakiso's Katabi town council, following the collapse of a four-storey structure under construction at Holly City church of Brother Ronnie ministries on Monday evening.
By Tuesday morning, uncertainty still gripped the community, with several families unable to establish the whereabouts or condition of their relatives believed to have been trapped beneath the rubble.
The building, an extension of the main church premises, reportedly collapsed at around 5:00pm on October 26, trapping an unknown number of construction workers.
While the police maintained that no deaths had been registered, several eyewitnesses claimed that some of those evacuated from the scene were already dead. The claims could not be independently verified by press time.
At the scene, distraught relatives wailed uncontrollably, with some attempting to force their way past the security personnel to search for the missing family members. The police and soldiers deployed around the premises, prevented them from accessing the wreckage, further fueling suspicion and frustration among the crowd.
"I have five children who have been working on that site. Since 5:00pm when the building collapsed, I have not seen any of them return home, nor have I been contacted by the church administration about their whereabouts," said a visibly distressed resident who identified himself only as Musoke. "Why are we being blocked from offering assistance in retrieving our trapped relatives?" he wondered.
Edith Irankunda, the Entebbe police community liaison officer, sought to calm the increasingly agitated residents, insisting that no fatalities had been confirmed.
"We are blocking people from entering because we want to keep the scene clear from intrusion so that we can accurately identify how many people are rescued," Irankunda explained.
She estimated that approximately 50 people had been working on the building at the time of its collapse.
However, residents disputed the figure, claiming that more than 100 workers, including casual labourers and construction professionals, had been operating at the site.
A technical official from the town council further claimed that attempts from local authorities to inspect the ongoing construction had repeatedly been frustrated by soldiers guarding the premises.
The allegations raised concerns over possible breaches of building regulations and the effectiveness of the construction oversight.
Herbert Zziwa, the communications manager at the national building review board, warned that the proprietors and professionals involved could face legal consequences if investigations establish that the structure lacked an approved building plan.
"Each square metre of a building, which is constructed without an approved building plan, costs sh40,000 in fines, and the building professionals such as engineers plus the proprietors are held liable," Zziwa stated.
Some of the ambulances coordinated by the Uganda Red Cross, accessing the premises to offer rescue services. (Credit: Julius Luwemba)
Police said preliminary findings indicated that the structure had reached the fourth floor at the time it collapsed, although the exact cause remains under investigation.
Meanwhile, police, assisted by the Uganda Red Cross and excavators provided by the United Nations, continued combing through the debris in search of possible survivors.