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The introduction of Orthodox Christianity into Uganda and East Africa occurred during the early twentieth century when the Anglicans Reuben Mukasa and Obadiah Basadjikitalo found anomalies among the writing of the Western Christians and delved further into the [[Holy Scripture|Bible]] for answers. After finding reference to the word "Orthodoxy" they extended their search for more information. In 1919, Reuben Mukasa and his friends sent letters of inquiry throughout the world. Receiving one of the letter, [[George Alexander McGuire]], a U.S. citizen of African ancestry, sent them literature on his non-canonical "African Orthodox Church". Now, convinced, Reuben and his friends set to the task of establishing Orthodoxy in Africa.
Through these early contacts, Reuben, who is better known by the name Spartas that he acquired, and his friends came into contact with an Orthodox [[archimandrite]], Nicodemos Sarikas, during the 1930s. Through him they eventually reached the Greek Orthodox [[Church of A;exandriaAlexandria|Patriarchate in Alexandria]] and were received into the [[Orthodox Church]]. Following years of study under the patriarchate, Reuben Spartas, Obadiah Basadjikitalo, Irenaeus Majimbi, and Theodoros Nankyamas were [[ordination|ordained]] and returned to their home land to evangelize further their countrymen.
In 1946, the Orthodox communities in Uganda and Kenya were accepted by the Patriarchate of Alexandria. The missionary effort in East Africa suffered a set back during the 1950s from the suppression of the anti-colonial movements by the colonial British government in Kenya and to which the British included the Orthodox missionaries. In 1959, the patriarchate established the [[diocese|metropolis]] of Irinoupolis (Dar es Salaam) covering Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda, with Metropolitan [[Nicholas VI of Alexandria|Nicholas]] assigned to the [[see]] that he established in Kampala.
