10-year-old girl walks 350km to Namugongo

Ms Catherine Ninsiima is among the first batch of pilgrims who arrived at the Uganda Martyrs Catholic Shrine Namugongo yesterday, ahead of the Martyrs Day Celebrations slated for June 3.

 In a jovial mood, the 10-year-old faithful in an interview with this publication, is optimistic that the long walk of faith wasn’t in vain.

 She braved the long distance to cleanse herself spiritually and to have all her prayer requests answered.

 She is among the 25 pilgrims that arrived yesterday from Kigoma Village, Nyabubare Sub-county in Bushenyi District, and are now residing in a tent provided by the Catholic Church.

 “This is my first time to walk and I am so happy to have reached this far. I believe in God and I’m confident that all my worries will be solved through prayer,” Ninsiima said.

Ninsiima believes this walk of faith will blow all her troubles away.

 “My father abandoned us. I have hope that after walking to Namugongo, he will return and take care of us by paying school fees and providing other basic necessities for the family, that is my prayer,” she added yesterday.

Ninsiima, who walked 350km from Bushenyi to Uganda Martyrs’ Shrine Namugongo, said they set off on May 12 and arrived on May 22.

 “I am praying to God to give me the gift of knowledge so that I am able to accomplish my studies and become someone important,” Ninsiima said.

Ninsiima says while she did not travel with her parents, she was in the company of other relatives and the Catholic community of Kigoma.

 Ninsiima, who is a Primary Four pupil at St Andrew Primary School in Nyabubare Sub-county,  hopes to become a doctor.

Despite her financial constraints, she is hopeful that she will make it.

 “God doesn’t forget his people, I have faith that my dream will come true because I pray all the time,” she said.

Ninsiima also said she is praying to God to give a long life to her mother, “I don’t know what we can do without her.”

 Ninsiima promised to do more pilgrimages.

Ms Buladina Katontoli, 72, a relative to Ninsiima, said she can’t believe her granddaughter made it to Namugongo on foot.

 “I thought she would at one point give up due to the scorching sun but she didn’t. I kept telling her that if she feels tired and can’t continue, she tells me and we put her in the car but she didn’t. She was walking at our pace. God is wonderful indeed, “Ms Katontoli said.

 Ms Katontoli is hopeful that God will grant her granddaughter all her wishes because she is a believer.

 “Walking to Namugongo means you have faith, but if you don’t have faith, you cannot walk all those kilometres from wherever to come here to Namugongo,” Ms Katontoli told this publication yesterday.

 Last year, the youngest pilgrim that this newspaper documented was seven-year-old Elijah Samba, who walked more than 225 kilometres from Mbale District in Eastern Uganda to Namugongo in the country’s central region- to commemorate the annual June 3 Martyrs Day.

 The Primary Two pupil at Little Stars Primary School in Mbale, who walked alongside his parents, noted that his “journey of faith was rather interesting”.