Singing, drumming, clapping and cheering from congregants throughout the week is now a common sight in Kampala.

But recently, the issue of loud worship has pitted people in the comfort of their homes or workplace against the right to freedom of worship. Some say the ‘noise’ is several decibels higher than normal. One resident of Kisaasi, a Kampala suburb, who preferred anonymity, said many congregants hold special services throughout the week and these sometimes last more than eight hours.

“The joyful noise is sometimes deafening [to the point] that I can hardly hear the TV when congregants are worshipping. What is most annoying is that they start in the evening and go on into the wee hours of the morning which makes a good night’s sleep difficult,” said the resident.

KCCA Executive Director Worships at Watoto Pentecostal Church

With increasing petitions concerning noise pollution and illegal structures against some churches, Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) is now demolishing some of them. A few weeks ago, the authority tore down a Pentecostal church in Kisaasi on grounds that the structure was of poor quality, built on land where it should not have been and that several complaints about noise had been lodged against it.

Robert Kalumba, the deputy spokesperson of KCCA, says they had served the pastor of the church notice of his church being an illegal structure on December 5, 2014, but he ignored it.
“The church was demolished because of poor physical planning and KCCA is currently in talks with religious leaders on the issue of structures. We also receive seven to 10 complaints daily on the issue of noise and we are trying to sensitize the Christian fraternity that other people’s rights have to be respected,” said Kalumba.
Currently, the demolished structure has been replaced by a tent and one resident says the noise has since tripled. Another Pentecostal church, Jesus Healing Centre, led by Bishop Samuel Kusasira in Kikaaya, Kawempe division was torn down three weeks ago over illegal construction and noise pollution. This followed a petition by 36 residents.

Pentecostal KCCA executive Director Puts on a Muslim Hijab during a meeting with Muslims last month

According to Section 9 of the 2003 National Environment (Noise Standards and Control, Regulations, a person shall not emit or cause to be emitted or permit the emission of noise resulting from yelling, laughing, clapping, shouting, pounding and singing, if the noise is clearly audible in the neighbourhood for more than two minutes or is within the prohibited time, in a residential area, school, hospital and other noise control zones.

With regard to this law, KCCA is cracking down on noise pollution, telling church leaders that they must reduce the volume or face penalties including the risk of being closed. John Ouma, a resident of Kasubi, says although churches provide spiritual nourishment to people, they are still under national laws and should abide by them.

This is the second time KCCA is attempting to control noise from places of worship. The authority’s first attempt in 2013 was met by resistance especially from the Muslim community, whose faith requires a public call to prayer (Adhan) five times a day starting at 5am – mostly done over loudspeakers.

After a letter from KCCA Executive Director Jennifer Musisi inviting religious leaders to a September 25 meeting to discuss noise pollution from places of worship, Muslim leaders reacted angrily [See, Muslims threaten KCCA on ‘noisy’ call to prayers. The Observer, September 29].
Now Pentecostals are also crying foul over KCCA’s latest approach. A pastor in Mpererwe (name withheld on request) says such laws stifle the church’s form of worship and curtail people’s freedom to worship the way they want.

“How come it is Pentecostal structures that are being torn down? Why not nightclubs, bars and mosques? All these contribute to noise. I think the people behind this operation have another agenda and are enemies of Christianity. Psalm 150 urges us to praise the Lord with loud music,” he retorted.

Dr Joseph Sserwadda, the presiding apostle of the Born Again Faith Federation, says KCCA is justified in demolishing churches constructed in areas such as road reserves and swamps. He, however, says closure over noise pollution is unjustified.

“There are times when KCCA is playing wrong because the issue of noise can be sorted out easily,” he told The Observer.

In 2002, Gen David Sejusa was cast into the limelight over a wrangle with a neighbouring mosque in Kyengera, which he said was making “too much noise” for him. The mosque won that round, and the general moved house.

And ‘worship noise’ is no longer restricted to Muslims and Pentecostals; as Catholic and Anglican chapels grow their congregations, followers increasingly sit in tents outside the church and follow the sermons and praise on screens and loudspeakers. At Christ the King church, for example, a well-attended mass can be heard from neighbouring premises as well.

Noise levels aside, KCCA is also reportedly moving to enforce more order for places of worship. Pastor Sserwadda said during his Sunday morning radio show on Impact FM, places of worship – regardless of denomination – will now be required by KCCA to keep at least 500m between each other in any locality.
The case of controlling places of worship has always been an emotional and charged one, and KCCA’s work is cut out for it. Just a few days after demolition of the Kikaaya church, for example, a UPDF top commander and senior police officials were among the congregation captured on local TV enthusiastically fundraising to rebuild the church structure.

The UPDF general quipped that this government believes in freedom of worship, while a police officer ‘cursed’ the KCCA official in charge of the operation.

Over 1 000 churches to be demolished

http://m.news24.com/kenya/MyNews24/Over-1-000-churches-to-be-demolished-20150318-2 

By: Godfrey Olukya 2015-03-18 20:52 
 
Kampala - Authorities in Kampala have threatened to demolish over 1 000 illegally constructed churches in the city and its suburbs.

''We have plans to demolish all the illegally constructed churches in Kampala. Some of the church buildings are in very poor state and can collapse any time,'' said KCCA engineer, Robert Okello.
This has come after a cross section of Ugandans complained about noise made in the pentecostal churches especially in residential areas.

They have also complained about street preachers who have recently been on the increase in Kampala city. Many churches, some of which are managed by con men, have also cropped up in Kampala and other parts of the country.

''We cannot sleep at night because of the much noise made in those churches. They start making noise from 10.00 pm until 5.00 am,'' said Solome Nakato, a primary school teacher living at Kawempe, in the outskirts of Kampala.

She said that they have complained several times to police but nothing has been done.
A businessman, Tom Kaya said that there are preachers on every street of Kampala nowadays who shout their voices out as they call for people to give their lives to Christ.

''Unfortunately, the messages sent by some of these people are  biased or meant to divide the people. They attack everyone who does not agree with their faith,'' said Kaya.
He said even the manner in which they shout is not acceptable in modern cities.
Such complaints forced the Kampala city council authority to demolish one of the churches and threatened to do the same to the others.

However, many believers went wild and threatened to demonstrate against the demolition.
The Pentecostal churches have resolved to put in place a delegation to meet KCCA and jointly set up guidelines and  minimum standards under which the churches should operate.

''This comes after reports that KCCA is in advanced stages of demolishing close to 1000 churches that were illegally put up,'' said

Bishop Joshua Lwere, the General Overseer of National Fellowship of Born Again Pentecostal churches of Uganda He said that  the dialogue will be held this week.

Born Again leaders to meet KCCA over church demolition

http://radioonefm90.com/born-again-leaders-to-meet-kcca-over-church-demolition/