Businessman Dodovico Mwanje last Sunday razed St Peter’s Church Ndeeba in Kampala.
The 45-year-old structure was demolished under the cover of darkness, purportedly over a longstanding wrangle between the church leadership and Dodovico. For several months, the building was guarded by police.
Following the incident, religious leaders, government officials and the general public at large have have come out to condemn the ungodly act.
The Makindye Grade One Magistrate has since issued criminal summons against city businessman Dodoviko Mwanje and Martin Adero, the Field Force Unit (FFU) Commander for Kampala Metropolitan Police South Region, over the demolition.
Here are the six things you didn’t know about Dodovico Mwanje:
1. Dodovico was a humble church member in the 1990s and lived as a self-effacing mechanic before relocating to Kololo, an upscale suburb in Kampala. Ndeeba residents describe Mwanje as a soft spoken person of about 60 years.
2. He is said to have arrived from Kiboga District and settled in Ndeeba, Rubaga Division, where he operated a garage in the 1990s.
3.His turning point came when he struck a deal with Uganda People’s Defence Forces to repair their vehicles.
4.At that time, his garage was located near the Old St Peter’s Church and as one of the believers, he would freely interact with other church members.
5. David Kavuma, an elder at St Peter’s Church, says he has known Mwanje for almost three decades.He recalls how Mwanje accrued lots of money through networking from his garage and he would later abandon his mechanic business to turn into a real estate kingpin.
6. Dan Katende recounted how Dodovico in 2007 asked the church to lease him an acre of church land but he did not succeed because the land had other church projects, including a washing bay, two garages, plants and kiosks.
“He offered that he would pay the church Shs300m per year but the administration refused. At the time the church was led by lay reader Godfrey Ssebina (now reverend),” he said.
Katende and other church members suspect the church refusal could have infuriated Dodo.
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