Church of Uganda to elect new Archbishop as Ntagali retires 

The Church of Uganda has confirmed its bishops will next electthe new Archbishop to succeed the Most Rt. Rev. Stanley Ntagali who retires in March 2020.

The new Archbishop will be announced on Friday  August 28, at the Provincial Office of the Church of Uganda, Namirembe, according to the institution’s communications department.

Archbishop Ntagali was elected and enthroned as Archbishop on  December 16, 2012  aged 57. He turns 65 years old on  March 1, 2020. 65 years is the mandatory age of retirement for the leader of the Anglican Church in Uganda.

According to the institution’s leadership manual, the Archbishop serves for 10 years only and can only serve until their 65th birthday. At the age of 65 an Archbishop must retire, even if he has served less than his ten-year term. For one to qualify for the position, he must be a Bishop in the Church of Uganda and at least 50 years old.

The new arch bishop will be elected by the House of Bishops comprised of all active Diocesan and Assistant Bishops under the supervision of the Provincial Chancellor. Currently, there are 38 Bishops in the House of Bishops however only 33 qualify to succeed Ntagali if  elected.

Currently Archbishop Ntagali is engaged in a farewell tour, visiting all 37 dioceses in the Church of Uganda to say good-bye. The Archbishop-elect will say farewell to his current diocese of Kampala as it prepares prepare to elect a new Bishop.

An Archbishop automatically serves as the Diocesan Bishop of Kampala Diocese as well as Archbishop of the entire Church of Uganda. Kampala Diocese will say farewell to their Bishop and prepare to receive a new Bishop, who is also the Archbishop.

The new archbishop will be installed on Sunday, 1st March 2020 at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Namirembe.

Past Archbishops

1st Archbishop Leslie Brown, a British missionary and was the first Archbishop of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Boga-Zaire (1961-1966)

2nd Archbishop Erica Sabiti (1966 – 1974)

3rd Archbishop Janani Luwum (1974 – 1977). Martyred in 1977.

4th Archbishop Silvanus Wani (1977 – 1983). In 1980, Rwanda, Burundi, and Boga-Zaire became a separate, Francophone Province, and Uganda became its own Province.

5th Archbishop Yona Okoth (1983 – 1995)

6th Archbishop Livingstone Mpalanyi-Nkoyoyo (1995 – 2004)

7th Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi (2004 – 2012)

8th Archbishop Stanley Ntagali (2012-2020)