Namugongo Shrines
Namugongo, Kampala - Uganda
There are other places you can visit if you need to know more about the famous Uganda Martyrs but Namugongo shrines is the main hub for information about all that happened.
The Uganda Martyrs are one of the reasons why Uganda is known globally. This was a group of 22 Catholic and 23 Anglican converts to Christianity in the Kingdom of Buganda.
They were killed on orders of Mwanga 11 (King of Buganda) after refusing to respond positive to his directives.
There are other places you can visit if you need to know more but Namugongo shrines is the main hub for information about all that happened. There are two places, one belongs to the catholic community and the other belongs to the Anglicans.
Millions of people converge at these places of worship on 3rd June of every year to commemorate these people.
A tour around exposes visitors to different things housed in these places including the art galleries, museums, grave yards, monuments to name but a few.
Entry is allowed at a cost for tourists and a local guide is available to take you around and feed you with different information. For those traveling from Entebbe you can drive straight to these shrines via the Entebbe – Kampala expressway and the northern bypass.
The Catholic Basilica
The Basilica of the Uganda Martyrs in Namugongo is a Roman Catholic minor basilica dedicated to the Ugandan Martyrs. Location: in Namugongo, Kira Municipality, Wakiso in Central Uganda approximately 14 Km (9 miles) by road, northeast of the central business district of Kampala.
The Namugongo Shrines were first recognised by the Late Joshua Serufusa-Zake when he was the Sabaddu of Kira Sub-County (1827-1928). He constructed a structure at the site, where it appears shrines were later built for prayer.
Ground breaking for the basilica’s construction was in 1965 & completed in 1968. Built close to where Saint Charles Lwanga & Saint Kizito were burned to death in 1886 on the orders of Kabaka Mwanga II.