Mapeera Bakateyamba’s home to get facelift

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In 1978, as the Catholic Church was preparing to celebrate her centenary, the late Emmanuel Cardinal Nsubuga (then the Archbishop of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Kampala) conceived the idea of starting Mapeera Bakateyamba’s Home Nalukolongo (a residential facility for disabled/elderly persons with nobody to take care of them). He built the charitable home at Nalukolongo (on the Nateete-Masaka Road, in Rubaga Division).

According to Sr Lawrence Nakiwu of the religious institute of the Good Samaritan Sisters who man the home, Cardinal Nsubuga desired to build 100 rooms, but the funds he had allowed him to build only 60 rooms. All the same, he successfully put the facility in place.

Today the home accommodates 56 persons of various religious affiliations. The inmates also hail from different countries including Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, DRC, South Sudan, Tanzania and UK, just to name a few.

Unfortunately, though, the home is currently grappling with serious challenges that are affecting its operations as St Nakiwu (the administrator of the home) explains.

“Mapeera Bakateyamba’s home is now 46 years old. It is thus not surprising that its almost all its facilities are now in a sorry state. The floors, ceiling, toilet facilities, kitchen, electrical installations, all need thorough renovation,” Nakiwu said.

A spectacle of one of the residential facilities at Mapeera-Bakateyamba's Home Nalukolongo that are to get a face-lift. Photo by Mathias Mazinga. (Photo by Mathias Mazinga)

According to Engineer William Bakaawa (a member of the construction committee of Kampala Archdiocese), at least sh806m (eight-hundred and six million shillings) is required to renovate the home.

Ssemogerere dedicates archdiocesan fund to renovation project

The sorry state in which Mapeera Bakateyamba’s Home has attracted the attention of the Archbishop of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Kampala, Paul Ssemogerere. The Prelate has consequently decided to renovate the Home. He intends to use the money that the Christians will donate into this year’s ‘Ssabasumba Annual Appeal Fund (SAAFU),’ a special fund that the archbishop uses to implement the priority pastoral/development activities of the archdiocese.

Archbishop Ssemogerere launched the fundraising drive for ‘Ssabasumba Annual Appeal Fund 2024’ at Mapeera Bakateyamba’s Home Nalukolongo on July 8 (2024). The function was graced by several stakeholders, including members of SAAFU led by the Director of the fund, Fr Timothy Lukananso and the Chairman, Mr Edward Kanyike.

Archbishop Paul Ssemogerere (wearing a white cassock) with some of the inmates of Mapeera-Bakateyamba's Home Nalukolongo and some of the Good Samaritan Sisters who look after them. This was diuring the launching of SAAFU 2024 at the Home in Nalukolongo, Rubaga Division on July 8, 2024. (Photo by Mathias Mazinga)

Engineer Bakaawa informed the congregation that the project of renovating Mapeera-Bakateyamba’s Home Nalukolongo will be implemented in 2 phases.

Archbishop Ssemogerere requested Christians and all people of goodwill in his Archdiocese to donate money to this year’s fund with even greater goodwill for greater progress of the archdiocese. The chairman of SAAFU, Kanyike said that his year they have a target of sh1b (One billion shillings).