Namugogongo Martyrs' Day can be organised better

By Waira Kyewalabye Majegere

I have been attending martyrs’ day for many years now. When I was young I used to go to just see vehicles, walk aimlessly around the whole shrine, run from the Catholic to the Protestant shrine, and eat pork accompanied with tonto.

At that time traffic from and to the shrine was more manageable than today. Vehicles used to go as far as the shrine without any hustle.  Today the vehicles remain a kilometer away in Kyaliwajala. You could say the population has multiplied under the enabling environment of the NRM government.

So last Sunday, I wanted to feel the nostalgia of a Namugongo pilgrim and, therefore, did not use the VIP tent. I witnessed people suffocating, fainting and others collapsing especially children, women and the elderly - even my family was not spared. There was total confusion. You would reach a point of no return; stampedes from the front and behind with nowhere to go.

Even last year, there was near suffocation and my mother temporally got lost for one hour. This was because when the mass ended, all the people were heading in the same direction. Then all of a sudden, they stopped because a VVIP convoy was also getting out. This was almost catastrophic because the crowds kept on sagging and pushing forward not knowing what was happening ahead.

I would, therefore, suggest that you begin planning now for the next martyrs’ day because even the population would have multiplied further. Make sure you get better public address systems so that you are able to engage at least 80% of the congregation unlike this time where loud speakers could not reach anywhere. The word of God is best suited more for the sinners and others like; drunkards, fornicators, pork eaters, pick pockets, rapists, youths, etc. With better public address systems, the word would get them wherever they would be.

 For instance, we were being told to contribute money for loud speakers which we did and I saw many Christians doing it faithfully. However, in my opinion, since it is a single day’s occasion in a year, it is not economically viable to buy a public address system. Its management and maintenance may be very difficult. You should be hiring a very efficient public address system and it should be from professional service providers who have better events management skills. Make sure you put gigantic screens everywhere so that even those seated far away are able to follow what is at the centre and this also can decrease on the push and jostling of people.

Include the Police in managing the traffic. At least you have managed the vehicles but those walking are still a very big problem. For instance, would you widen the entrance further or create another entrance. You need also to allow a bigger exit. You should demarcate entrances and exits to avoid stampedes.

Even the VIP traffic can be managed better. For instance, should it be released when 90% of the human traffic is going out, can it be released before, and can you think of establishing a special / security exit route for the VIP?  Over to you Gen. Kale Kayihura and Bishop Cyprian Kizito Lwanga, we should not lose human life; we should not allow humans to suffer. We should be able to register fewer cases of suffocation and fainting by people.

Hon Waira Kyewalabye Majegere
MP Bunya East, Mayuge