Kenyan pilgrims oversleep, delay to set off

May 31, 2015

The plan was to set off from St. Kaloli Lwanga, Mbiko parish at 3.00am Sunday. But because majority of the group overslept, they left for Mabira two hours later.


By Tony Achidria & Damalie Nabbosa

The plan was to set off from St. Kaloli Lwanga, Mbiko parish at 3.00am local time Sunday.

But, because most of the over 500 pilgrims from neighbouring Kenya and eastern Uganda were still deep asleep by that time, departure time I had to be delayed . . . until 5.30am.

Perhaps it was the exhaustion from a long day’s walk on Saturday – from Rubaga Cathedral in Jinja to Mbiko.

Yet for the pilgrims on the eastern route, their longest walk lies before them today. After Mabira, where they are trekking all the way to Namagunga, a stretch of about 40km.

So why the Mabira stop-over? Every year, all pilgrims from Kenya hold a Mass here in remembrance of one of their colleagues, John Kibe, who died in an accident at this point during his journey in 1999.

With their sleep gauges more than exhausted, the Christian walkers will have to step it up on their route today.

By 3.30am early Sunday, only a handful had started climbing out of their sleep while the majority continued with their shutout.

They slept on pews, in classrooms, on verandahs as well as on the lawns.
 

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The group set out for Mabira at 5.30am instead of the earlier-scheduled 3.00am. (Credit: Damalie Nabbosa)

 


For the pilgrims, songs of praise and worship keep them going. (Credit: Damalie Nabbosa)

 


There is still some ground to cover, but Kampala is not far away. (Credit: Damalie Nabbosa)


St. Kaloli Lwanga Church, their resting point, was named after one of the Uganda martyrs – Charles Kaloli Lwanga – who was beatified in 1920 and canonized on October 18, 1964.

It is said that while Lwanga was being burnt over a century ago, he told his persecutor, "It is as if you are pouring water on me. Please repent and become Christian”.

The martyrs, for which the Uganda Martyrs’ Day is held annually on June 3, were burnt to death on the orders of Buganda king Mwanga because they declined to denounce their Christian faith.

So the pilgrimage made by various groups from within Uganda and afar is to honour them at the martyrs shrine in Namgugongo.

The Kenyan group is due to spend a night at Namagunga before proceeding to Namugongo on Monday.

Most of the pilgrims from Kenya started their journey between three and four weeks ago.



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Ugandans cheat Kenyan pilgrims
 

 

 

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