By Gladys Mukisa Friday 21 November 2025.
October 26, 2025, was the climax of the celebration to mark 100 years of St. Mary Lubaga Cathedral Catholic church call it centennial, drawing celebrants including government officials and clergy from across various denominations in attendance.
Notable religious figures from the non-Catholic community were the Anglican church’s Archbishop Dr. Steven Kazimba Mugalu and Bishop Moses Banja of the Namirembe Diocese.
Usually when the church holds spiritual ceremonies like St Mary’s centennial, opposition political figures are not stopped from attending fellowships as such.
However, this time, the opposition NUP president Bobi Wine could not make his foot at the Lubaga Catholic cathedral, following restrictions by the church leaders, according to reliable sources in the catholic church.
Insiders narrated to Blazer News Times that when the church leaders received information that Bobi Wine was planning to attend the ceremony which president Yoweri Kaguta Museveni was expected to also attend, immediately pressure started to mount among the Catholic church leadership.
According to the reliable sources, the developed panic among the priests meant that if the two political nemesis were hosted together at the planned event especially in the middle of the campaigns for the 2026 elections, it would make the president feel un comfortable, hence affecting the church relations with the state.
Considering the magnitude of the impact, a hard decision of pleading with Bobi Wine behind scenes to abandon his intentions had to be made, according to insiders, that is how he ended up not being part of the celebrations.
The celebrations were graced by Gen. Museveni who had paused his presidential campaign in Northern Uganda to perform the state duty.
The government had earlier contributed of 300 million shillings towards the church’s fundraising drive dubbed “Yooyoota” to raise Shs 2.4 billion budgeted to refurbish the cathedral, according to the Arch Bishop Paul Ssemogerere.
Prime Minister Robinna Nabbanja and the Buganda Kingdom Katikiro Charles Peter Mayiga were among the celebrants.
Bobi Wine 2026 Electoral Bid Rejected by the Catholic Church.
Unlike the 2021 elections that saw Bobi Wine enjoying a lot of support from within the Catholic church, during the 2026 elections he has not, according to sources.
Sources say that a decision was taken internally by the church leadership not to accord him the 2021 elections support, because he had broken a number of his promises, including eliminating some of their key pro interests’ catholic children from his led NUP party.
Sources also say that the church didn’t want to divide its people should have publicly aligned with him.
