Kituntu District

The Kituntu District is the ‘door’ to the Karagwe diocese. On the way from Bukoba, lake Victoria or from Kampala, Uganda via Kyaka to Karagwe and Ngara, one is going to enter the Karagwe diocese through the Kituntu District.

The word ‘Kituntu’ has different meanings:

• As a geographical term, Kituntu refers to the high plateau of Karagwe with a height of 1.500 up to 1.800 metres above sea level.
• Kituntu also is the name of a village between Katembe and Rwambaizi.
• The Kituntu parish has 9 congregations and belongs to the Kituntu District.

The majority of the people in Kituntu-District are farmers. They live from their crops such as bananas, coffee, maize, potatoes, beans, cassava. The district area is divided in fertile uplands like in Kituntu and Runyaga Parish, and poor soil lowlands, like in Kihanga and Rugera Parish. The average income is less than 300 € a year. The literacy rate is above 90%, but only Primary school (4 years in school). In terms of religion there are about 25% Lutheran, 40% Catholic and 35% others such as Muslims and others.

The Kituntu District has a total of 8,817 members, 4 parishes and 27 congregations. Each parish is led by a pastor and each congregation is led by an evangelist. Between 50 and 600 members belong to a congregation.

Kituntu Parish with Rev. Anatory Kagaruki has 9 congregations as such: Katembe, Katwe, Kanoni, Kibona, Kituntu-Kinyinya, Igurwa, Rwambaizi, Nyakahita and Nyakigongo.
Runyaga Parish with Rev. Faustin Buchocho has 7 congregations as such: Runyaga, Muchuba, Kagutu, Omurulama, Ruhanya, Kahundwe, Chanika.
Kihanga Parish with Rev. Emmanuel Iromba has 7 congregations: Kihanga, Mulamba, Kishojo, Kibwela, Rutunguru, Kyabayanda, Kitengure.
Rugela Parish with retired Rev. Martin Mutungilehi has 4 congregations as such: Rugela, Nyarugando, Mwemage, Kikurula.Now there is one Deacon in Kituntu District that is Deacon G. Amos

Activities

• Visiting families and members,
• Various Services,
• Evangelism,
• Project management in the areas of student scholarship programme, constructing Omurumala Church and rainwater harvesting tanks, an enviromental programme of forestation etc.

Impressions from the inauguration of the new church in Omurulama.

Partnership

The church partnership between the Kituntu District and the deanery of Biedenkopf (Protestant Church in Hesse and Nassau) was started in 1991.The key areas of the partnership are visits, partnership Sunday, project management, capacity building and ecumenical learning. Evaluation is another integral part of the relationship between the two church districts. The partnership website www.biedenkopf-kituntu.de contains all the information on the partnership in German, English and Kiswahili.

Contact

Further information through District Pastor Rev. Anatory Kagaruki by Mobile No +255 754 021 195

Text: Leopold Materu

© 2008-2009 ELCT Karagwe Diocese
P.O. Box 7 · Karagwe, Kagera, Tanzania
Telephone: +255-28-2223262
Web: www.karagwe-diocese.org · E-Mail: main@kad.or.tz

Last Update: 2010-06-26 08:01:18 · printable version