Church House is owned by the Provincial Office of the Church of Uganda. Shares in the holding company, Church of Uganda House Limited, were purchased by Anglican dioceses and parishes in the country. The building houses the offices of the Archbishop of Uganda. The remaining space is rented to banks, restaurants and other commercial interests, in order to raise funds to pay the construction mortgage. After the mortgage is retired, the income will fund other church projects. Equity Bank Uganda Limited, the bank that holds the 70 percent equity mortgage on the building, maintains its headquarters and main branch, on the first four floors of the skyscraper.
History
The idea to construct a building of this nature was conceived in 1965, with the aim of enabling the Church of Uganda to financially sustain itself. However, earlier attempts to fundraise did not meet the set targets. The Church took those funds and bought land in different parts of the city. By selling those real estate holdings in the 2000s, the provincial office was able to raise the required 30% of the construction costs. They also secured a 70% mortgage from Equity Bank Uganda Limited to complete the construction. Construction of the premises finally started in January 2011 with an initial timeline of 18 to 24 months. However, due to unforeseen delays, completion of the project was temporarily slated for the second half of 2014. Construction was finally concluded and the completed building was handed over to the owners in June 2018. The completed building was officially commissioned by Ruhakana Rugunda, the prime minister of Uganda, on Friday, 24 August 2018.
Construction costs
The lead contractor on this project was Cementers Uganda Limited, a local construction company. The initial estimate was for UGX:40.73 billion. Construction delays may have pushed those figures higher. Construction began in 2011, with an initial timeline of 18 months. As of June 2014, the building was not yet complete. The Church of Uganda contributed 30 percent in cash and Equity Bank provided a 70 percent construction mortgage. James Mwangi, the Group CEO of Equity Group Holdings Limited, personally contributed USh1 billion towards the construction of this building.
