A dark cloud hovers over the Uganda Society of Architects as it mourns the passing on of its celebrated godfather Willliam Henry Ssentoogo. Ssentoogo passed on at the age of 88 at his home in Lubowa.
Ssentoogo will be remembered for his enormous contribution to defining what is Kampala’s skyline today. Some of his architectural edifices in Kampala include Mapeera House, Bank of Uganda, Workers’ House, and Statistics House, as well as the extension to the Parliament of Uganda and most recently the remodelling of Christ the King church.
The city of Kampala was at his heart having served as its principal planner and chief architect under Kampala City Council upon his return to Uganda in 1971 to 1973 before he founded the prestigious Ssentogo and Partners, Architects and Planning Consultants a firm located on Nakasero Hill Road, a place where he designed most of the towering skylines.
The late Ssentoogo first obtained a diploma from the Royal Institute of British Architects in England. According to an interview with the New Vision in June 2021, Ssentoogo later joined Graham Patrick for two years before his postgraduate studies in town and country planning at the University College, London between 1967- 69. This launched him to work as a Principal Planner of Liverpool City Council. It was from there that he moved back to Uganda to work under Kampala City Council.
He was the teacher who never became yet he spent all his life teaching, inspiring and touching lives through his works all his life. He believed that architecture was one of the avenues a country told of its culture.
He was a man of many stories and jokes to those that knew him and yet he remained very private.
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He was the son of the late Silivano Kapalaga and Dorotia Bukirwa. However, he spent a lot of his time with his benefactor the late Raphael Ssebuggwawo who made it possible for him to join St Mary’s Kisubi before joining Makerere University to study Science in Education, a course he had opted for instead of Medicine as he couldn’t stand the plight of patients. Later, he dropped out of the course, to pursue architecture, a course that he fell in love with from afar. He moved to Nairobi at the Royal Technical College in Nairobi to study technical drawing, a subject which until then had been reserved for only British and Asian students. It was from there that he made it to England to study for a diploma in architecture.
One of his former staff, Moses Mutebi describes him as a person who wished to see his staff grow themselves. “He preferred hiring diploma holders as he believed they had both the theoretical and practical skills which were often found lacking among degree holders. From there, he would encourage them to pursue further studies.”
He amongst other roles served as the Vice President of the Commonwealth Association of Architects in 1976. He was also the founding member of the Africa Union of Architects for a decade from 1981-91, one of the most treasured services of his lifetime.
He was honoured by the International Union of Architects and also received the SMACKOBA Meritorious Award, amongst many other recognitions. He was also a member of the Uganda Society of Architects, the Royal Institute of British Architects and the Architectural Association of Kenya
At 88, the architect had grown frail from an illness that condemned him to his bed for the last three years till today when he breathed his last. He will be laid to rest at his country home in Sekiwunga, Kitende this Saturday, August 26th 2023.