A Lubowa resident, Wilson Sewanyana, has gone to court on behalf of other homeowners in the high-end Lubowa area along Entebbe Road, off Kigo Road, in Wakiso District. Through Miscellaneous Cause No. 369 of 2025, he is seeking to block Victory Christian Centre founder and President of the Born-Again Faith in Uganda, Apostle Dr Joseph Sserwadda, from conducting frequent open-air prayer meetings on a 10-acre piece of land, now known as Doxa Grounds, which he recently leased for five years from Indian owners.
Sewanyana wants the court to direct the pastor to adopt clear and enforceable measures to address concerns around excessive noise, traffic build-up, and the spillover of activities onto neighbouring private property.
Residents have it the dispute intensified after Dr Sserwadda publicly stated that he intends to eventually acquire the land permanently and continue purchasing surrounding properties until the wider Lubowa area becomes part of his ministry. In several videos circulating online, the 71-year-old preacher compares his relocation to Lubowa to biblical promises God made to Abraham and the Israelites’ takeover of Canaan, statements that have unsettled long-term residents.
The situation has drawn firm opposition from affluent and influential homeowners who have lived in the area for years. Several residents say the activities have disrupted their sleep, and many have criticised Dr Sserwadda both in physical meetings and on neighbourhood WhatsApp groups.
Dr Sserwadda moved his annual Passover prayers, held every 31 December, to Lubowa after the Government of Uganda reportedly declined to renew permission for the event to continue at Mandela National Stadium, Namboole. The event had been hosted there for years, but remained controversial due to claims of political messaging.
Ahead of the 2025 Passover gathering, Sewanyana filed a petition in the High Court’s Civil Division seeking a permanent injunction. He argued that an event expected to attract more than 100,000 worshippers in a designated residential zone would disrupt residents’ peace, overwhelm road infrastructure, worsen traffic congestion, and attract criminal activity that often targets large crowds.
On Wednesday, 30 December, Justice Simon Peter Kinobe delivered what he described as a balanced ruling, noting that cancelling an event that had taken months to organise was no longer practical. The decision was issued in the presence of Sewanyana’s lawyer, Isaac Walukagga of MMAK Advocates, and Juliet Nakato of NAN Advocates, representing Dr Sserwadda’s Impact Media Consortium Uganda Ltd.
Justice Kinobe allowed the Passover prayers to proceed under five strict conditions. Dr Sserwadda was ordered to provide adequate sanitation facilities, manage traffic effectively, keep noise levels within limits approved by NEMA, and ensure full protection of neighbouring properties. The court also required that all temporary or permanent structures at the site have valid approvals from the relevant authorities.
In his two-page ruling, the judge advised Sewanyana and other residents to return to court and file contempt proceedings if any of the conditions are violated, whether during the Passover event or future open-air crusades at the Lubowa venue.
The earlier matters filed by Sewanyana, Miscellaneous Applications Nos. 1126 and 1127 of 2025, together with Miscellaneous Cause No. 369 of 2025, are still pending, with Dr Sserwadda continuing his defence through Impact Media Consortium Uganda Ltd.
