Ugandans in Bristol celebrate 64 years of independence
Clad in national colours, Kanzus and gomesis, the group hoisted Uganda flag in front of the Bristol City Hall amidst cheers and ululations from members of the Bristol City leadership led by the Lord Mayor, Yassin Mohamud.
Justice Fatuma Nanziri (third from left) celebrates Independence Day with Ugandans in Bristol's south-west.
BRISTOL - On the morning of October 9, 2026, Ugandans living in the southwest of the UK braved the cold weather and gathered in Bristol city to celebrate their country’s 64th independence anniversary.
Clad in national colours, Kanzus and gomesis, the group hoisted Uganda flag in front of the Bristol City Hall amidst cheers and ululations from members of the Bristol City leadership led by the Lord Mayor, Yassin Mohamud.
In his speech, Lord Mayor Mohamud congratulated Ugandans upon reaching the milestone, noting that the event was not only historic for Uganda, but also for Bristol City, which was hoisting the Uganda flag for the first time.
“Today, we mark Uganda’s independence day, commemorating the country’s achievement of independence on October 9, 1962, from the UK. It is particularly significant that it is the first time that the Uganda flag has been hoisted at Bristol City Hall. As we gather, we celebrate not only Uganda’s independence, but also values of unity, heritage, resilience and connectivity that this day represents,” he said.
Mohamud was flanked by Lady Justice Fatuma Nanziri, Hasifa Nabaale (chairperson of Ugandans living in southwestern UK), Matilda Kay (International Affairs Lead and service manager for the Bristol City Office at Bristol City Council), Nathan Namatati (vice-chairperson of Ugandans living in southwestern UK), businessman Rashid Majothi, among others.
Ugandans in Bristol join their Lord Mayor, Yassin Mohamud, to celebrate independence.
Nabaale hailed the leadership of Bristol City for joining the Ugandan community to celebrate Independence Day.
She also urged Ugandans living in the Diaspora to continue to espouse unity, resilience and a sense of heritage.
Justice Nanziri, who was in the UK on holiday, told the gathering that it was a great honour to have Uganda’s flag hoisted at the Bristol City Hall.
While explaining Uganda’s national colours, Justice Nanziri emphasised the spirit of brotherhood, which is represented by the colour red.
“Black represents the colour of our skin, yellow represents the sunshine. The colour red represents brotherhood. What we are doing here is brotherhood; we are bringing the community together. The message I have for my community from Uganda is: please keep this brotherhood. Without your brothers and sisters, you cannot get anywhere. And don’t limit the communities to just Ugandans; include everyone else,” she said.
For businessman Majothi, the day was for celebrating a country which his forefathers called home until they were expelled along with other Asians by former President Idi Amin Dada in 1971.
Members of the Ugandan community in southwest of England chatting hoisting their flag.
“Today makes me very proud that we are standing here as brothers and sisters to celebrate Uganda’s independence,” he said.
Namatati noted that the hoisting of the flag had made the Ugandan community feel visible.
“I used to pass here and see many flags fly except the Ugandan one. We felt invisible, but here we are today, feeling visible. We now feel like there are Ugandans here; we are more than 1,000, excluding our children. We are such a big community. Raising our flag not only communicates to other people that we belong here, but we are also communicating to our children that they belong here,” he said.
After hoisting the flag, Umar Nyanzi, a Ugandan living in Bristol, recited a poem in praise of Uganda, the Pearl of Africa.
The celebrations will continue next week on the 17th October when the Ugandan in Bristol and the southwest of England will gather to celebrate.