Pilgrims begin camping at Namugongo

Kampala- Suitcases, polythene bags filled with clothes, mats and rolled up mattresses are some of the items that as of yesterday, were starting to pile up at the pavements of Uganda Martyrs Church in Namugongo.

Pilgrims have started to arrive from across the country a week to the June 3 celebrations.

“More than 50 pilgrims arrived on the weekend and yesterday. They are camping on the shrine grounds. We expect thousands more to arrive during the course of the week,” said Mr Francis Muwonge, the administration secretary at the shrine.

There were also other pilgrims from other regions of the country, including north, west and the eastern part of Uganda.
“I came early so that I can pray for this country and my friends before it gets crowded here,” said Maria Gorreti, a 30-year-old parishioner from Kyengera, who walked all the way to the shrine on Sunday.

However, the hush weather conditions that are characterised by rains and hard temperatures are already impacting on the pilgrims, who are currently camped in open spaces.

“We sleep on church pavements, the nights are cold but we hope church authorities will allow us to sleep inside the church,” said Maria Gorreti.

However, Mr Muwonge said there would be no such arrangement, adding there was no way they would house the pilgrims inside the church.
“That is out of the question. We can’t allow people to sleep inside the church,” he said.

“If they [pilgrims] want, they can sleep on pavements that have shades; we have also put a tent outside that they can use. A number of shades, including the pavilion at the Martyrs Lake are available for use,” he added.

Preparations are also underway at the Uganda Martyrs Anglican Church shrine, which is about 500 metres from the catholic.
Construction works of the new Martyrs Museum are being undertaken on site and several other activities are planned throughout the week.

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