Uganda Martyrs Day 2025 commemorations — as it happened

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 UGANDA MARTYRS DAY 

Presented and edited by Joseph Kizza
(Scroll down this page for earlier updates)
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 2:40 PM 

 END OF LIVE PAGE 

It's a wrap here as I end this live text commentary. Glad you could follow along. Be sure to read related stories on this very website.

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 2:35 PM 

COU welcomes Museveni's directive

The Church of Uganda has welcomed the directive by President Museveni — the guest of honour at the Anglican celebrations — to permanently include the Martyrs Day celebrations in the national budget. 

"Your directive to include these commemorations in the national budget is not only an act of leadership, it is a recognition of the spiritual foundation upon which our nation stands," the church said in a post on social media X.

"May the Lord richly bless you for honouring the Church."

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 2:23 PM 

Showers of blessing

What perfect timing!

It has been warm and dry for the most part today, allowing the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims gathered at the holy sites (Namugongo and Munyonyo) to join in the celebration of the Uganda martyrs.

Then towards the end, with most of the formalities done, the skies opened for what many will see as showers of blessing.

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 1:45 PM 

Good News Bible Martyrs' Edition unveiled

Bishop Joseph Antony Zziwa, the current chairperson of the Uganda Episcopal Conference, has launched the Good News Bible Martyrs' Edition.

This special edition was created in partnership with the Bible Society of Uganda for this pilgrimage year, he says.

"It is a Good News Bible version with all books arranged according to the Catholic Church tradition and a special message from the chairperson of the Uganda Episcopal Conference is included."

Zziwa goes on to encourage Christians to purchase the bible not only as a souvenir, but also as a source of continued nourishment of the Word of God.

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 1:33 PM 

Martyrs honoured in Mbale

New Vision's Paul Watala reports:

❝Thousands of Christians from different parts of Elgon sub-region that did not make it to Namugongo to commemorate the Ugandan martyrs gathered at St Dennis Ssebugwawo Catholic Church in Namatala in Mbale City to join in the celebrations.

Most of Christians that attended Mass at the church trekked from the districts of Sironko, Mbale, Manafwa, Namisindwa, Bulambuli and from Teso, Sebei and Bukedi regions.

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 1:26 PM 

'We shall support the Muslims'

This year, the Ugandan government disbursed sh4.2 billion to support the 2025 Martyrs Day celebrations. This included sh2 billion for the Catholic Church, sh2 billion for the Anglican Church, and sh200 million for the Muslim community.

In his speech during the Anglican commemoration, President Yoweri Museveni has directed that this becomes an annual contribution in the national budget, also promising to support the Muslims in establishing a facility to honour Muslim pilgrims.

"When the Muslims are ready, we shall also support them [to build a facility] because I am told that some Muslim followers were also killed by [Kabaka] Mwanga," says Museveni, who adds that he has been impressed by the participation of many Ugandans in this annual commemoration.

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 1:15 PM 

'Holy water'

One of the attractions at the Catholic Shrine and Anglican site is the "holy water", a spring-fed water source that many pilgrims believe has healing and spiritual powers. 

Like in past years, pilgrims have this year come made the pilgrimage with various forms of containers to draw a portion of that "holy water".

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 12:50 PM 

Mass ends at Catholic Shrine

The main celebrant, Bishop Christopher Kakooza of Lugazi Diocese, delivers his blessing to the faithful to signal the end of the Martyrs' Day Mass at Namugongo.

Once this is done, attention turns to other activities on the programme, including awarding the winners of the Martyrs Essay. Speeches are also to be delivered.
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 12:43 PM 

'Pilgrims of Hope' from different nations

Various nations are represented by pilgrim groups at Namugongo. Here are some of them pictured waving their respective flags during the offertory procession at the Catholic Shrine earlier:

DR Congo🇨🇩 and Tanzania🇹🇿

Malawi🇲🇼

Mozambique🇲🇿, South Africa🇿🇦 and Zambia🇿🇲

Rwanda🇷🇼

And many more...

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 12:37 PM 

Holy Communion at Anglican site

Watch as Bishop Hannington Suubi, the inaugural Bishop of East Busoga Diocese, administers Holy Communion to faithful during the Anglican celebrations.


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 12:20 PM 

Mass held at Munyonyo after incident

Despite the morning terror incident that happened near the Munyonyo Martyrs' Shrine in Kampala, Mass was later held at the site after security revealed that they had "intercepted and neutralized two armed terrorists", who included a female suicide bomber laden with "powerful explosives".

The suspected terrorists were the only deaths in the incident.
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 12:07 PM 

🎵 'Gallant soldiers' 🎶

The choirs have been busy animating the celebrations with a steady-flowing conveyor belt of glorious songs.


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 11:53 AM 

Offertory time

It's time for offertory at the Catholic celebrations, happening a little while after the same happened across at the Anglican site.

Vice-President Jessica Alupo is leading the offertory procession for the presentation of the offertory gifts.

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 11:35 AM 

Security on top

On land, in the air and in water, the security presence is ubiquitous.

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 11:16 AM 

'Pilgrimage of hope is a journey of resilience'

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Lugazi is the host of this year's Catholic celebrations. Accompanied by other members of the clergy, Bishop Christopher Kakooza of Lugazi Diocese is leading the Mass at the Catholic shrine.

He pays tribute to the recently elected Pope Leo XIV and also honoured the man he succeeded, Pope Francis, who died on April 21 this year at the age of 88.

Kakooza says the late pontiff made the pilgrimage to Namugongo and also declared 2025 as the Year of Jubilee, with the theme 'Pilgrims of Hope'.

The Lugazi bishop says Namugongo is a place of "faith and hope", and goes on to explain the essence of a pilgrimage — a journey undertaken by a person of faith.

"Hope is the cornerstone of our pilgrimage. Hope inspires love. Love motivates us to serve others selflessly. A pilgrmare of hope is an internal, spiritual journey that unfolds in daily life through prayer and acts of charity," preaches Kakooza.

"We participate in this spiritual journey in communion with God and others. The pilgrimage of hope is a journey of resilience. Life is full of challenges, moments of doubt and suffering. Hope enables us to persevere. It reminds us that our struggles are temporary.

"The martyrs of Uganda were inspired to understand this. Charles Lwanga, Matia Mulumba and companions were ready to suffer in the hope of what was to come.

"Their mission was to witness the passion and resurrection of Christ. They have handed over that mission to us. Dear Christians, with love and joy, we proclaim the hope of resurrection to the world."

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 11:00 AM 

 BREAKING NEWS 

Museveni, First Lady arrive at Namugongo

President Yoweri Museveni and the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Museveni, have arrived at the Anglican site for today's commemorations.

They are received by the Archbishop of Church of Uganda, The Most Rev. Dr. Stephen Samuel Kaziimba Mugalu.

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 10:53 AM 

📸 At the Catholic celebrations

Take a look at pictures from the Catholic side of Namugongo.

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 10:32 AM 

'Love for Jesus Christ'

Orombi, 75, says faithful are today celebrating the Uganda martyrs' loyalty, courage, and love for Jesus Christ.

He says the young Uganda martyrs "left everything behind and chose their faith" and "allowed themselves to be beaten and burnt, all because of their love for Jesus Christ".

"They walked in humility and courage, choosing to follow Christ no matter the cost."

The former archbishop further pays tribute to the martyrs' deep love for Christ.

"Just as Christ died for them on the cross, they too chose to love Him to the point of death. They refused to deny Him. Even in their suffering, they continued to praise and worship the Lord. What love! What loyalty! They felt pain, but their hearts were full of worship."

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 10:29 AM 

Orombi leads Anglican preaching

"Born and bred in the north", Emeritus Archbishop of Church of Uganda Henry Luke Orombi is the chief preacher at the Anglican celebrations.

"The last time I was here, Namugongo was not like this," he says, thanking President Yoweri Museveni's government for playing a role in changing the face of the site.

"Today is a special day for us. We are looking to being a true witness of Christ. We are looking at the extraordinary witness of the Uganda martrys. We are celebrating their faith," he preaches.

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 10:20 AM 

📸  View at Anglican site

Commemorations are going on at the Anglican site, where politicians, foreign dignitaries, the clergy and lay faithful are in attendance.

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 9:50 AM 

 BREAKING NEWS 

'UPDF neutralized two armed terrorists'

The Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF) has released a statement on the incident that occured earlier today at Munyonyo.

Here is the statement issued by Col Chris Magezi, the Acting Director Defence Public Information:

"A UPDF counter-terrorism unit this morning intercepted and neutralized two armed terrorists in Munyonyo, an upscale city surburb. It was an intelligence-led operation, and the security service are on heightened alert to ensure the Martyrs Day celebrations proceed without disruption. The general public is urged to remain calm but vigilant and report to the security services any suspicious individuals, objects or activities for immediate attention."
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 9:33 AM 

📸 Can you identify them?

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 9:15 AM 

 BREAKING NEWS 

Security probe blast near Munyonyo Shrine

News just in is that a blast, suspected to be a bomb, has occured near the Munyonyo Martyrs' Shrine in Kampala.

Local media at the scene is reporting that two people are dead. They were on a boda boda, with the female passenger believed to have been carrying the bomb, which reportedly went off metres away from the basilica, where pilgrims had gathered for today's commemorations.

No other deaths have been recorded. The mangled bodies of the two people who were on the motorcycle are still on the scene as the security personnel probe. Security have not yet given any official comment.
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 9:06 AM 

Procession at Catholic shrine

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 9:00 AM 

Procession at Anglican site

Clerics have taken part in a procession at the Anglican site, led by a band ahead of today's main service.

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 8:41 AM 

Namugongo is alive with the sound of music!

As thousands of faithful, including high-profile people, continue to arrive at Namugongo for today's celebrations, the area is alive with delightful choral music as the massive choirs on either sites do well to warm up the respective stages with their beautiful voices.

Pilgrims have travelled from far and wide, include from countries like Malawi.

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 8:20 AM 

'President expected at Anglican site'

New Vision's Simon Peter Tumwine reports:

❝The view from the Anglican site shows a steady stream of people continuing to make their way to the site, where President Yoweri Museveni (or whoever he will delegate) is expected to grace the celebrations.

Security has been ramped up, with various groups of security personnel seen patrolling the streets. Inside the site itself, pilgrims are seen sitting under tree shades as they engage in silent worship and prayer ahead of the main service.

The choir is set. This year's Anglican commemoration is animated by the Northern Uganda cluster of six dioceses.

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 7:45 AM 

'Chance for a brief nap'

New Vision's Moses Nsubuga reports:

❝Preparations are under away for today's Mass at the Catholic basilica at Namugongo. Some pilgrims are using the chance to have a brief nap before the Mass begins."

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 7:25 AM 

'Carry identification documents'

Relatedly, Kituuma also expounded on the issue of safety of pilgrims at Namugongo.

"On May 22, 2025, we conducted a mass casuality simulation exercise in Namugongo to ensure readiness for any emergency during the celebrations. There is medical safety in place," he said.

"We encourage you to carry identification documents. We register incidents such as accidents or a medical situation, where you are in a state where you cannot communicate and where we are also in a dilemma where we cannot identify you nor your people. We encourage people to carry something that speaks about them.

"We usually register lost persons, including children and adults. Some adults move in a group and then later they cannot locate their group. At the end of the day, all these are carried and brought to the police stations.

"We encourage you to have contacts of the people you move with. If it's a child, maybe put a telephone contact in the child's pockets.

"We have protocols which are seriously inhibiting juvelines. But you see, this celebration is wide. It is not about only the precinct of Namugongo. It is something which affects a very huge area: the trade, the associated activities in the surrounding areas. The effect of not following this guidance affects that entire population.

"There are ushers with tags in place, utilize them. Don't fall prey to masquaraders. I urge all participants to co-operate with security and observe security and safety measures as well as protocols to ensure a peaceful and blessed Uganda Martyrs Day."

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 7:20 AM 

'We have a command centre at Namugongo'

"Our security forces are patrolling the shrine and site. We have deployed adequately at the surrounding areas and all entrants are undergoing security screening," said Police spokesperson Kituuma.

"We have a command centre that has been established in Namugongo to coordinate security operations. You will note that, by default, the Catholic shrine and Anglican site have established police stations — fully manned and ready to give you police services of whatever kind.

"If you have lost property, report it to the nearest police station or our command centre. You may be in a crowd where you may physically not manage to move to Police immediately out of emergency. You can call the following three numbers: 999, +256393206480, +256750146042. Those three numbers shall be called if you have any emergency situation.

"Also, not far away from Namugongo, as you head towards Kyaliwajjala, there is Kira Police Station, where the division headquarters are situated.

"There is regulation of trade order. Initially, we have been having a lot of leg room for vendors. This time around, on especially the main route, we are controlling trade. We have given those persons trading a buffer zone of 15 metres from either side of the road, where we shall prohibit any kind of trading.

"We are going to mount a number of barriers to particularly effect that order."

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 7:15 AM 

Beware of 'people of shaken faith'

While today is a celebration of young men who had the courage to stick to their faith many decades ago, Police spokesperson Kituuma warned against another group of "courageous individuals" with criminal intent that have joined pilgrims at Namugongo.

"Whenever we have large gatherings, we also have volume of business associated with them and that is typical of this day. Whereas this is a congregation of people of faith, there are also in our midst people of shaken faith who join us — people with criminal intent," he said.

"We observe usually on such days a number of activities of a criminal kind. There are thefts and pickpocketing. We usually register impersonation and fraud. There are times when we come across people impersonating priests (...) clad in religious attire. So we have these courageous individuals and it is our duty as Police to inform you. It is a manageable challenge. We have persons who will try to collect donations — playing on the psyche of people of faith.

"We also have people who carry what we would call prohibited tools. Sometimes these are innocent souls. For instance, you find someone carrying a stab knife and they want to go through our access control systems.

"We also have prohibited behaviour like mob action or mob violence. On a slight suspicion, they are beating somebody to near-death. Remember we have cameras making all these observations, so we do not want a man or woman of faith ending up writing a statement at a police station because they engaged themselves in dispensing justice when that one is a preserve of the Government of Uganda and its agents.

"We have those who abet crime — sometimes consciously and sometimes unconsciously. For instance, somebody comes, he steals a phone then he sells it to you. Why would you buy a phone in such a rushy manner? You do not know whether the phone holder is genuine and you end up buying a stolen item. Tomorrow we track it and you end up in our coolers.

"You also find people falling into gullible deals. For instance, that they are selling you gold. Why would someone sell gold, which most likely is fake, on such a celebratory day? Of course what usually happens is, when you open the envelop, you are most likely going to find a bar of soap or a pair of candles.

"We warn you, concentrate on what has brought you. We have come for martyrs of faith and let's be focused.

"We also need to alert you that terror is a threat that we always need to be careful with. Let's not have fear over it. Let's confront this need, let's embrace this day without necessarily fearing these threats. Let's only take them into consideration.

"I would like to pass on a message from the inter-agency framework or arrangement that we intend to deal with any threat decisively, but we request as security, for population vigilance and we urge any aggrieved person, any concerned person with suspicious behaviour to report to Police immediately."

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 6:48 AM 

7,000-strong security force deployed

Big events like today's mean one thing: heavy security deployment.

Addressing a press conference in the days leading to this big one, Police spokesperson ACP Rusoke Kituuma said that the joint security forces had registered "very good compliance" from the pilgrims, including wearing reflector jackets, the formations of their movements as well as staying in designated places.

Security personnel are deployed along all routes and designated rest points such as schools and places of worship to safeguard travellers, he added.

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 6:48 AM 

Namugongo is set

The huge number of people, the spiritual mood and the colour add to the essence of this important religious celebration as the global eyes are once again are trained on Uganda.

At the crack of dawn today, New Vision's Moses Nsubuga was sure to capture several images of the atmospheric setting at the Catholic Shrine, where all is set for today's events.

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 6:30 AM 

Traffic management plan

With hundreds of thousands of pilgrims already at Namugongo and thousands more expected to make their way there this morning, the Police traffic directorate have some headache to deal with for the routes leading the famed sites.

Good enough, they have it all figured out already, as you can see from this plan (below) the Police shared with the public in the lead-up to today's huge event:

So, how about we break it down, as presented by SP Michael Kananura, the traffic police spokesperson, during a press conference at the weekend.

First things first, the traffic management plan is essential all road users: those driving, those riding and even those on foot.

▪️ The Jinja-Kampala highway will be normal traffic flow
▪️ The Kireka-Kyaliwajjala Road will be a one-way for only vehicles heading to the venue
▪️ The Kyaliwajja-Nalya Interchange and towards Kyaliwajjala will be one-way.

▪️ Kyaliwajjala trading centre to the Catholic church will be a pedestrian walkway. Pedestrians will keep right then the left will be preserved for the VVIPs and emergency vehicles.

▪️ VIPs with vehicles bearing appropriate stickers will be allowed to access their parking space at the Catholic church and Anglican church at Namugongo.

▪️ VIPs to the Catholic church with cars bearing red stickers will access Namugongo through Kyaliwajjala via Ssemambo Road and park at the Namugongo Boarding Primary School as will be guided by the traffic police.

▪️ Unless expressly specified by the organizers, VVIPs and VIPs with vehicles to the Anglican church will access the venue through the Bweyogerere-Buto-Kyobe Road and park at the Anglican church farm.

▪️ Foreign pilgrims to the Catholic church with vehicles bearing blue stickers will be dropped off at Kyaliwajjala trading centre and vehicles will be asked to park at Vienna College Namugongo.

▪️ Medical service vehicles will bear green stickers and these should clearly be displayed for ease of identification.

▪️ Service providers for the Catholic church bearing purple stickers will access the venue through St Kizito Lwanga Road at Namugongo Police Station entrance. These were advised to be at the venue in good time "because starting from midnight June 3, no more service vehicles will be allowed to access the venue".

▪️ Pilgrims to Mamre International Prayer Centre will access the venue through Bweyogerere-Buto-Kyobe Road and they will be directed to park accordingly by the traffic police.

"Appropriate stickers should be clearly displayed on the windscreen of each vehicle to ease identification and to avoid unnecessary delays," said Kananura.

▪️ Pilgrims from Northern Bypass will park at Hillside Nursery and Primary School.

▪️ Pilgrims from Ntinda Kiwatule, Najjera and Kasangati are advised to park at Kira Town Council playground and Kira Municipal Council Mayor's Garden.

▪️ Pilgrims from the Eastern route to the Anglican church will access the venue through Seeta-Sonde-Bweyogerere-Buto-Kyobe Road and park at the church farm.

Police said there will be regulated access in the following areas: 

▪️ Naalya Roundabout
▪️ Kireka trading centre
▪️ Bweyogerere trading centre
▪️ Seeta trading centre
▪️ Agenda 2000
▪️ Namugongo-Buto-Kyobe Road
▪️ Namugongo-Ssemambo Road
▪️ Kyaliwajjala trading centre

▪️ Motorvehicles and motorcyles without approriate stickers will not be allowed to proceed beyond the cutoff points.

▪️ There will be no parking for the general public at both the Catholic shrine and at the Anglican site.

Taxi stages at Kyaliwajjala trading centre, Sonde Road, Namugongo Road and Naalya will be prohibited for the period this traffic management plan takes effect.

"And any taxi found at the stage will be impounded and the driver will be penalized. Vehicles abandoned along the designated routes will be towed at owner's cost and will attract a penalty," warned Kananura.

"We urged all motorists to follow the instructions of the traffic officers and to exercise maximum discipline and patience on the road. Please plan your journeys in advance to avoid unneccessary delays and inconveniences."
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 6:05 AM 

Northern Uganda cluster takes lead

Meanwhile, it's the Northern Uganda cluster of the Church of Uganda (six dioceses) that is leading the Anglican martyrs commemoration this year.

This cluster is made up of the dioceses of Lango, West Lango, Acholi, Madi & West Nile, Kitgum and Nebbi.

Check out here the moment Nebbi pilgrims reached Namugongo.

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 6:00 AM 

Lugazi Catholic Diocese in charge

This year, Lugazi Diocese in Uganda's east is animating the Catholic national liturgy under the theme 'Walking in the footsteps of the martyrs for a faithful journey', which according to the organizers, "will honour the courage and unwavering faith" of the martyrs.

Expect a celebration featuring "vibrant liturgical services, cultural performances, and spiritual reflections at the iconic Namugongo shrine".
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 5:47 AM 

'Immersed in prayer, seeking miracles'

New Vision's Moses Nsubuga reports:

❝Pilgrims at the Namugongo Catholic Basilica spent the night in worship and praise, gathered in groups according to their districts and regions. Throughout the night, they prayed and praised God in their native languages, creating a vibrant atmosphere of devotion.

Some were seen collecting "holy water" after patiently waiting for hours in long queues late in the night. Others spent the night at grottoes, on their knees and immersed in prayer, seeking miracles and spiritual renewal from their pilgrimage experience.

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 5:30 AM 

Young men of faith and courage

Good morning everyone. It's 5:30am at Namugongo (in Uganda's capital Kampala), where hundreds of thousands of pilgrims have gathered for yet another celebration of the Ugandan martyrs — a group of young men who were killed more than a century ago for remaining loyal to their faith.

The Uganda martyrs story has been told over and over: 23 Anglican and 22 Catholic converts to Christianity in the historical kingdom of Buganda, now part of Uganda. They were executed between January 1885 and January 1887, on the orders of Mwanga II, who was the Kabaka (King) of Buganda at the time. They were canonized in 1964.

Theirs is a story that provides us — every year — with a poignant reminder of the sacrifices some humans are willing to make for what they believe in. Some 140 years later, the martyrdom of these young, courageous men presents plenty of lessons for believers in the present-day context.

Once again, faithful from all corners of Uganda and from beyond the borders are gathered at Namugongo to collectively honour the Ugandan martyrs. In recent days and weeks, thousands of them have trekked long distances to get to the Catholic Shrine and the Anglican Site to be a part of the commemorations.

Today (June 3) is a public holiday here in Uganda — liturgically celebrated as a solemnity to honour the martyrs. Be sure to follow updates on this very page and across the other Vision Group platforms: websites, social media and TVs.