A delegation of clergy and their spouses under the Ankole Diocese, Uganda Christian University Clergy Alumni Association (ADUCUCAA) , led by the Rt. Rev. Assoc. Prof. Fred Sheldon Mwesigwa had a propelling benchmarking and liaison visit to the Diocese of Kirinyaga in Kenya, extending engagement beyond conventional pastoral and national frameworks.
The delegation toured a range of development initiatives implemented by both the Diocese of Kirinyaga and the Anglican Church of Kenya, highlighting innovative models of ecclesial sustainability and socio-economic transformation.
Notably, the Diocese has strategically established commercial infrastructures within church precincts, leasing business spaces to entrepreneurs as a steady income stream; of particular interest was a large-scale commercial mall comprising eleven floors and almost comparable in magnitude to Uganda’s provincial Church House, financed entirely through the sacrificial giving of church members.
The Diocese further promotes entrepreneurship among its faithful, exemplified by a visit to a leading agripreneur, Mr. Anthony, whose intensive dairy enterprise operates 50 cows on a quarter-acre holding, complemented by a supplementary feed unit; at present, 17 lactating cows yield an estimated 450 litres of milk per day.
The team also visited expansive rice schemes within Kirinyaga District, a region responsible for approximately 80% of Kenya’s national rice production, underscoring the integration of agriculture into community development.
Overall, the visit was both exciting with love-exchange moments between the couples as they exchanged gifts, shared meals, and it was an exciting experience for members flying with their spouses.
Concluding the visit, the delegation expressed a firm commitment to contextualize and replicate the observed best practices in advancing holistic development within their respective dioceses.
