A construction site disaster struck the heart of Kawuku, Katabi Town Council on Monday, October 26, 2026, when a building under construction at Brother Ronnie Makabai’s Holy City Entebbe Church came crashing down, leaving more than 100 people feared trapped beneath the wreckage. The collapse, which sent shockwaves through the surrounding community, triggered one of the most significant search and rescue operations seen in the Entebbe area in recent memory.
What Happened at Holy City Entebbe Church
The building, reportedly still under construction at the time of the incident, gave way without warning. Preliminary details remain fluid, but the scale of the catastrophe became apparent almost immediately as first responders arrived to find a scene of chaos, dust, and desperate cries from beneath the debris. Over a hundred individuals are feared to be buried, a figure that, if confirmed, would place this among Uganda’s most devastating structural failures in years.
According to NTV Uganda, at least 10 victims had been rescued and rushed to nearby medical facilities by the time early reports emerged. Entebbe Regional Referral Hospital and Kisubi Hospital are both receiving casualties, with medical teams placed on emergency alert to manage what is expected to be a sustained influx of injured survivors.
Security Forces Move In: A Joint Rescue Operation
The Uganda People’s Defence Forces and the Uganda Police Force responded swiftly, deploying joint teams to the site. Security personnel cordoned off the area to manage the growing crowd of onlookers, many of them relatives of those feared trapped, and to create safe corridors for rescue workers to operate effectively.
The presence of the UPDF alongside civilian police signals the gravity with which authorities are treating the situation. Rescue operations of this scale require coordination across multiple agencies, and the joint deployment suggests that both the human toll and the logistical complexity of the scene demanded military-grade resources and manpower. Investigators have also begun preliminary work to establish what caused the structure to fail so catastrophically.
Questions About Construction Safety in Uganda
This tragedy throws a harsh spotlight on construction standards and regulatory oversight at religious and community institutions across Uganda. Buildings under active construction are inherently vulnerable environments, and when large numbers of people are present on or near active sites, the consequences of structural failure can be devastating. The fact that this incident occurred at a church compound, a space ordinarily associated with community gathering and safety, makes it all the more jarring.
Uganda has grappled with building safety concerns before. Enforcement of construction codes, particularly at sites operated by private religious organisations, can be inconsistent. Whether the Kawuku tragedy stems from substandard materials, poor design, inadequate supervision, or some other factor entirely, those questions will form the core of the investigation now underway.
Hospitals on the Frontline
Entebbe Regional Referral Hospital, the primary public health facility serving the greater Entebbe area, is bearing a significant portion of the emergency burden. Kisubi Hospital, a private Catholic mission hospital with a long history of serving communities along the northern shores of Lake Victoria, is also receiving patients. Both institutions face the twin pressures of volume and severity as rescue teams continue to pull survivors from the rubble.
Medical staff at these facilities are likely dealing with crush injuries, a particularly brutal category of trauma that can cause organ failure, severe blood loss, and long-term complications even in patients who initially appear stable. The next 72 hours will be critical, both for those still trapped and for those already receiving care.
Brother Ronnie Makabai and the Holy City Church
The Holy City Entebbe Church, associated with Brother Ronnie Makabai, is a faith community in the Kawuku area of Katabi Town Council. As of the time of reporting, no official statement from church leadership had been confirmed. The focus at this moment remains entirely on the rescue operation and on accounting for all individuals who may have been on or near the construction site when the collapse occurred.
A Community in Shock
For the residents of Kawuku and the broader Entebbe district, October 26, 2026 will be remembered as a day that turned ordinary life inside out. Families gathered outside the cordoned perimeter, waiting for any news of their loved ones. The uncertainty is agonising. Every survivor pulled from the debris brings a collective exhale; every hour that passes without news deepens the dread.
Rescue workers, often unsung heroes in moments like these, are putting themselves at physical risk to save others. Rubble from a collapsed multi-storey construction can shift unpredictably, and every extraction requires a careful balance of speed and caution. Uganda has trained rescue personnel within both the UPDF and the police, and their expertise is being tested in real time at this site.
The coming hours will determine the final scope of this tragedy. Authorities are expected to issue further updates as the rescue operation progresses and as investigators begin piecing together a clearer picture of why a building meant to serve a community of faith became the site of one of the country’s most alarming recent disasters.
As Uganda watches and waits, one question demands an honest national conversation: what will it take for construction safety standards, particularly at religious and community sites, to be enforced with the rigour that protects human lives before disaster strikes rather than after?
