Thousands turn up for Martyrs Day prayers
Priests march to the main altar across a bridge over the man-made lake before the start of Mass at Uganda Martyrs Shrine Namugongo during Martyrs Day celebrations yesterday. At least 15 countries sent in pilgrims for this year’s event. Photo by Eric Dominic Bukenya
What you need to know:
From far and wide. At least 1,000 pilgrims from as far as Mexico and Australia joined thousands of Ugandan pilgrims at Namugongo for the annual event.
Kampala. All roads led to Uganda Martyrs Shrine Namugongo yesterday. People from all walks of life and allover the world, streamed to the country’s revered holy place where 45 devoted Christians were executed on orders of the Kabaka of Buganda Kingdom in 1886.
From Mexico to Australia, South Africa to Guinea Conakry, more than 15 countries sent pilgrims to this year’s Martyrs Day celebrations. Tanzania sent the biggest delegation of 4,816 pilgrims.
Other countries represented at the Martyrs Day celebrations include Rwanda, Malawi, South Sudan, Burundi, Nigeria, Israel, USA, Singapore, Ireland, Canada, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya and Eritrea, among others.
More than 1,100 foreign pilgrims attended alongside thousands of Ugandans.
The presence of Uganda Tourism Board officials, as well as the managing director of Kenya Tourism Board, Mr Alex Tunoi, demonstrated the faith tourism potential of the annual event.
Local pilgrims in tens of thousands patiently waited in long queues snaking all the way from Kyaliwajala Trading Centre. A sea of pilgrims swarmed the roads and advanced to both the Catholic and Anglican Martyrs shrines in Namugongo.
The scramble for access to the shrines sparked the pushing and shoving as some pilgrims, especially those who spent an overnight at the shrines, rushed to catch a snack in the nearby Kyaliwajala Trading Centre. The town turned into one huge mass restaurant as hungry and thirsty pilgrims consumed everything.
By the start of the main celebrations at about 9.30am, the sea of pilgrims at Namugongo made the surging mass crowds that attended the November Pope’s visit look like a drop in the ocean.
The boy scouts and girl guides who had been initially tasked with control of the crowds were overwhelmed and police had to intervene by deploying trainees identifiable by their white shoulder flaps.
The choir from Kiyinda-Mityana Diocese gave the event a local Kiganda flavour with two traditional dances accompanied with local lyrics and were still entertaining the pilgrims when the emcee announced the arrival of first local VIPs.
Former presidential candidate Amama Mbabazi was driven into the venue incognito and almost nobody from the congregated crowd noticed his arrival. He was recognised when he had long taken his seat.
Foreign pilgrims
Country Number
Kenya 4000
Tanzania 4861
Rwanda 300
Malawi 100
Nigeria 117
Mexico 4
Australia 5
Burundi 7
Israel 5
USA 7
Singapore 4
South Africa 16
Ireland 4
South Sudan 105
Canada 6
Guinea Conakry 1
Eritrea 15
