BWERENGA, WAKISO DISTRICT, UGANDA — Police confirmed one worker's death on October 27 after a multi-storey building under construction collapsed at Holy City Church in Bwerenga, Wakiso District, Uganda. Rescue operations and an investigation continued on Tuesday.
The structure, an extension at the church premises in Katabi Town Council, collapsed on Monday, October 26, while construction workers were on site. Tuesday's confirmation of a death and the continuing rescue update are material developments following the initial rescue reports.
Confirmed casualty figure replaces early uncertainty
Daily Monitor reported that the deceased was builder Francis Lukwago. Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Rachael Kawala confirmed one death to reporters at the site.
The same official death toll was independently reported by Nile Post. Its article distinguished the police-confirmed figure from a source's unconfirmed claim that a second body had been recovered. HSE Blog has not adopted that claim.
Rescue totals changed as the response developed. The initial police account put the number rescued at approximately 22; Daily Monitor's October 27 report put it at 25. Those figures should be read as provisional updates rather than a final, reconciled casualty list.
Search and structural investigation continue
Police Fire and Rescue Services and other emergency teams worked through the debris. Authorities secured the site to support rescue work and preserve evidence.
Police and structural engineers began examining the circumstances. No final technical report establishing why the building failed was available at publication. Allegations about approvals and construction supervision appeared in local coverage, but they have not been treated here as proven causes.
The number of people who may still have been missing was not reliably established. HSE Blog is therefore not publishing an estimated trapped-worker total.
HSE Blog analysis: rescue access and structural control
HSE Blog analysis: A construction collapse presents continuing hazards to survivors and rescuers. Secondary movement of unstable concrete, reinforcement and temporary supports can change the risk as debris is removed.
For construction managers, the prevention priorities are verified design, competent supervision, controlled changes to temporary works and an effective response to signs of structural distress. During rescue, access and lifting decisions need to be coordinated with the teams assessing stability.
These principles are general safety context, not findings about the Wakiso project. HSE Blog's structural collapse prevention guide explains design and construction-stage safeguards. Its emergency management plan guide provides context on coordination and accountability.
Verification and image note
Coverage was checked from Daily Monitor, NTV Uganda, New Vision, Nile Post, Uganda Radio Network via The Observer, and Uganda Broadcasting Corporation. Monitor and NTV belong to the same media group and were not treated as fully independent sources. The police spokesperson's statements, recorded in the reporting, are the authority for the confirmed death toll; direct access to a standalone police release was not available.
Actual rescue photographs and video coverage were found, but no explicit permission for HSE Blog to reproduce them was verified. Readers can view the credited images with the original Monitor report. The featured artwork is an illustration.
Source
Daily Monitor; Kampala Metropolitan Police statementsmonitor.co.ug
