Thousands gather in Namugongo to mark 140 years of martyrs

3 June 2025, 5:01 pm

By Ronald Ssemagonja

President Yoweri Museveni and First Lady Janet Kataha Museveni joined thousands of believers at the Anglican site in Namugongo to celebrate the historical Martyrs’ Day, which was organised by the Northern Cluster.

Speaking to the gathering and the nation at large, the President congratulated Ugandans.
“On behalf of the government, I congratulate the Church for organising this day. We ancient people believe in people worshiping in the way they want, as long as they don’t break the law,” he said.

He added, quoting Mark 12:17 from the Bible:
“Jesus replied, ‘Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God.’”

The President advised Ugandans not to mix politics and religion. He further revealed that the Uganda Shillings 4.2 billion allocated to the Anglican Site, the Catholic Shrine, and the Muslim site for organising the celebrations would now be included in the national budget every year.
“I directed the government to make this part of the annual budget,” he emphasised.

He also stated that when the Muslim community is ready to develop their site, the government will support them, just as it has supported the Catholic and Anglican sites.

In his sermon, the retired Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Rt. Rev. Dr. Henry Luke Orombi, urged Ugandans to always choose God, just like the Martyrs did.
“Martyrs made a choice to follow God. You too should do the same. This country is in His hands. God listens to our prayers,” he said.
He added that he believes the upcoming elections will be peaceful and called on believers to continue praying for the nation.

This year’s celebration theme was:
“Imitating God’s Faith by Doing Good,”
drawn from Galatians 6:9.

Meanwhile, the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda and main celebrant, Rt. Rev. Dr. Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu, thanked the government and other sponsors for their support, which enabled the organisation of the celebrations.
However, he urged the government to establish a national health insurance system to save the lives of Ugandans who cannot afford private health insurance.

Kaziimba also expressed concern over the growing abuse of marijuana and other drugs in the country, especially among the youth.
“Marijuana is killing our children. We must fight this. We encourage you to support Butabika Hospital. Together, we can reclaim our children,” he said.

He further announced that next year’s Martyrs’ Day celebrations will be organised by Uganda Christian University, while the Namirembe Diocese will lead the celebrations in 2027.

The Minister of Health and chairperson of the organising committee, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, thanked the government for the UGX 2 billion support.
“We are grateful to the Church of Uganda for choosing the Northern Cluster to organise the celebrations. People moved from Gulu to here over 12 days, and we congratulate them,” she said.

Minister of State for Tourism, Wildlife, and Antiquities, Martin Mugarra, noted that tourists from around the world visit the Namugongo site, which generates revenue for the country.
Despite improvements, he added that more infrastructure development is still needed at the site.

The event was graced by Cabinet ministers, Members of Parliament, cultural leaders, religious leaders, and many others.