The strive to fetch holy water at Namugongo 

MARTYRS DAY AT NAMUGONGO

While the service is ongoing at the Anglican shrine, several pilgrims are not attending the prayers and are enduring the long queues to fetch holy water. 

The water is in the nearby thicket, surrounded with several trees and grass. It is a little distance from the place where the congregation has gathered for prayers. 

Many of the pilgrims have either a five, three or two- litre jerrycan to use for fetching the holy water. Despite the long queues, the pilgrims are calmly awaiting their turn to fetch water. 

The holy water is believed to have originated from the spot the Uganda Martyrs were killed from.

Other locals say the water source was originally a stream where Mukajanga washed his clubs and panga which he used to torture and sometimes kill as commanded by the king. The shrines and neighborhood was then mashes thus the name Nakiyanja.

It is believed that a miraculous water source sprang into existence and many people who drink the water or bathe it get healed from ailments. 

Several priests are praying for the jerrycans with the holy water to bless it. Pilgrims have on several occasions been advised by the church to first boil the water before drinking it, however, some prefer to drink it unboiled saying it is holy.