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Uganda Postpones Martyrs Day Celebrations Amid Ebola Concerns In a decision that has stirred emotions across Uganda and the wider Christian community in East Africa, the Government of Uganda has officially postponed the 2026 Uganda Martyrs Day celebrations due to growing fears surrounding the Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The announcement, made after consultations between President Yoweri Museveni, the National Epidemic Response Task Force, and religious leaders, reflects the government’s prioritization of public safety over tradition during a time of regional health uncertainty. Every year on June 3rd, millions of pilgrims travel to Namugongo Martyrs Shrine to commemorate the faith and sacrifice of the Uganda Martyrs. Pilgrims from across East and Central Africa — especially from eastern DRC — often journey for weeks on foot to participate in one of Africa’s largest religious gatherings. But this year, the shadow of Ebola has changed everything. Health authorities have expressed concern over increased cross-border movement following confirmed Ebola cases linked to Uganda and neighboring DRC. The current outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, a rare strain for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment. President Museveni emphasized that “the protection of life must come first,” urging pilgrims who had already started their journey to return home and continue observing health precautionary measures. The postponement marks one of the most significant disruptions to the historic religious event in recent memory. For many believers, Martyrs Day is more than a celebration — it is a spiritual pilgrimage deeply rooted in faith, sacrifice, and national identity. Yet, while disappointment is understandable, many Ugandans have also praised the government for taking preventive action before the situation escalates further. The move comes as the World Health Organization declared the Ebola outbreak affecting DRC and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, citing fears of wider regional spread. As Uganda navigates this health threat, the postponement serves as a reminder that public health preparedness and collective responsibility remain critical in protecting lives. A new date for the Martyrs Day celebrations is expected to be communicated later by the government and religious leaders. #UgandaMartyrsDay2026 #Ebola #KaseseToNamugongo #PublicHealth

Thousands of pilgrims from D.R.Congo cross border to Join kasese in the Namugongo Martyrs pilgrimage 2026.

GUIDANCE FOLLOWING THE POSTPONEMENT OF THE NATIONAL UGANDA MARTYRS DAY CELEBRATIONS AT NAMUGONGO ON JUNE 3RD, 2026.

Imagine walking 200km to Namugongo… with no support. 😔 Many pilgrims sacrifice everything to honour our 22 Martyrs. This year, the @DioceseOfKasese is leading the national celebration. Your donation = transport, food, and spiritual preparation for those who would otherwise stay home. Be their provision! Join the Taxman @URAuganda as it fundraises for this cause! @uctvuganda @ntvuganda @mtsionbukalango @uganda_martyrs @SonOfRwenzori @1005kgr

His Lordship Francis Aquirinus Kibira invites YOU. 🙏 The Bishop of @DioceseOfKasese will be the Chief Guest at the @URAuganda Headquarters fundraising event on 20th May 2026. But you don’t have to wait until then; every shilling sent today moves a pilgrim closer to Namugongo. Be part of this spiritual journey and donate today. @AMDAUganda @angelmuhindo @RitaWilson @CentenaryBank @mtnug @mtic_uganda @nbstv @ntvuganda @newvisionwire @DailyMonitor #BishopKibira #UgandaMartyrsDay2026 #KaseseToNamugongo

The road to Namugongo 2026 begins with you. 🇺🇬✝️ The @URAuganda Catholic Chaplaincy is leading a fundraising drive to support the @DioceseOfKasese, the lead animators of the 2026 Uganda Martyrs Day celebrations. Your contribution will help: Pilgrimage preparations, Transport & facilitation of pilgrims, Spiritual & logistical activities Support the legacy of our Martyrs. @uganda_martyrs @nbstv @CentenaryBank @stanbicug @ntvuganda @mtnug @Airtel_Ug @kabandaolsd @newvisionwire @NWSCMD #UgandaMartyrsDay2026 #KaseseToNamugongo #URACatholic

ST. MUKASA KIRIWAWANVU: STRENGTH, HUMILITY, AND A FINAL CONVERSION He was strong, not just in belief but in body as well. Mukasa Kiriwawanvu was a Muganda, born between 1861 and 1866 at Nakasawula in Kyaggwe County. In the court of Kabaka Mwanga II, he served as a page; his duty was simple, yet close to power: serving food to the king’s guests. But that was not all he was known for; he was a wrestler, powerful, long-limbed, and athletic, like his father before him. In another life, he might have been remembered only for his strength, but history remembers him for something deeper. Mukasa’s story is different from many of the Uganda Martyrs. It is not a story that begins with immediate faith; it begins with conflict. At one point, Mukasa struck a Christian—Gyaviira—after being mocked with the nickname “Magulumpaali” (the long-legged one); that moment mattered because it shows us something human: He was not perfect, he was not already a saint, he was a young man—strong, emotional, and shaped by his environment, and yet, something changed. While already imprisoned during the persecutions, Mukasa encountered a different kind of strength—the quiet resilience of the Christians he had once opposed. In that place of confinement, something deeper than physical power took root; he reconciled, he forgave, he sought forgiveness, and he made peace with Gyaviira. In that transformation, Mukasa experienced what the Church calls baptism of blood—the only martyr among them to receive it in this way, not through water, but through conversion at the very edge of death. On 3rd June 1886, he was led to Namugongo, where he was burned alive with the others. He was between twenty and twenty-six years old, a man once known for his physical strength… now remembered for spiritual courage. St. Mukasa Kiriwawanvu stands as a powerful reminder that holiness is not always a straight path, that transformation is possible even late, even after mistakes, even after conflicts, and that sometimes, the greatest strength is not in the body but in the heart that learns to change. Today, he is honored as the patron of hotels, bars, and restaurants—a fitting connection to the man who once served others in the king’s court. But beyond that, his life speaks to anyone who has ever needed a second chance! #UgandaMartyrsDay2026 #StMukasaKiriwawanvu #KaseseToNamugongo #ChristIsAliveInYouAndMe

ST. AMBROSE KIBUUKA: WHEN A YOUNG HEART CHOOSES FIRE OVER FEAR He was just a boy, a Muganda, born in Ssingo County. With a future still ahead of him, his name was Ambrose Kibuuka, and like many young people, his story could have been ordinary, but history remembers him because of one decision; He did not walk this journey alone!! Like his brother Achilles Kiwanuka, Ambrose was drawn into the Christian faith at a time when Buganda itself was changing. He enrolled for catechism; He listened, and he believed! Then there came a decisive moment, on the night of 16th November 1885—shortly after the martyrdom of Joseph Mukasa Balikuddembe, Ambrose went for baptism, not casually, not safely, but urgently, because he knew what was coming! He was baptized by Simeon Lourdel—Mapeera, and from that moment, his life was no longer his own. Even his name tells a story, “Kibuuka” a name tied to a Buganda traditional deity (god), remembered in Buganda as a powerful spirit struck down in battle from the sky by the Banyoro. Ambrose chose a new identity, a new allegiance, a new truth. What makes his story deep is this: He understood the cost! Historical accounts show that after his baptism, he went back home to say goodbye to his parents knowing that death was no longer a distant possibility, but a likely reality. Imagine that moment! A young boy standing before his family, choosing faith over safety! He could have walked away; he could have stayed home; he could have chosen life, but he returned to the palace, back to danger, back to his faith! Then came the final test, under Kabaka Mwanga II, the persecution intensified. Christians were arrested and condemned, marched to their deaths. On 3rd June 1886, Ambrose Kibuuka was taken to Namugongo, where he was burned alive. He is one of the young martyrs of the Uganda Martyrs, he was most likely seventeen, if not eighteen. Today, St. Ambrose Kibuuka is remembered as a patron of youth and movements like scouts. If you knew the cost, would you still choose what is right like Ambrose did? #UgandaMartyrsDay2026 #StAmbroseKibuuka #KaseseToNamugongo #ChristIsAliveInYouAndMe

ANATOLE KIRIGGWAJJO: The COURAGE TO STAND ALONE He was young, not a bishop, not a famous leader, just a royal page in the court of Kabaka Mwanga II, living close to power, but with very little control over his own fate. His name was Anatole Kiriggwajjo, and like many young people, his life could have gone in any direction, but then he encountered something that changed everything. Through the influence of the Church Missionary Society, Anatole discovered the Christian faith—not as a rule, not as a system, but as truth, a truth he chose to follow, but in the Buganda of the 1880s, that choice was dangerous, because this was not just about religion, it was about loyalty! To follow Christ meant something radical; it meant that the king was no longer the highest authority in your life, and Kabaka Mwanga II noticed. The palace that was once a place of opportunity became a place of fear. Young pages began to disappear, whispers spread, choices had to be made! "Renounce your faith… or face death." Anatole had every reason to stay silent. He was young! He could have lived! He could have waited! He could have chosen safety! But standing among other boys—friends, brothers in faith—he made a different choice. He refused to deny what he believed. No speeches, no rebellion, just quiet, unshaken conviction! In June 1886, he was marched with others to Namugongo. Step by step towards death. Imagine that walk! The heat, the fear, and the silence between friends who knew what was coming, and yet—he did not turn back! Anatole Kiriggwajjo became part of the Uganda Martyrs not because he was powerful but because he was faithful. Today, we remember him on Uganda Martyrs Day, but his story is not just history; it is a question: "What do you do when your beliefs cost you something, when staying true is harder than staying safe?" Anatole’s life answers quietly: You stand. Even when you stand alone. #54DaysToNamugongo #UgandaMartyrsDay2026 #ChristIsAliveInYouAndMe #FaithAndCourage #AnatoleKiriggwajjo

We Are Back — And So Are the Martyr's Series 🔃🔃 I was supposed to start this journey on 7th April 2026, but I didn't! Life got heavy, fingers froze, and the words would not come! I know, you know the feeling... You plan to pray, but you do not; you plan to walk to Namugongo, but you hesitate; you plan to wear the Ekitenge with pride, but you leave it hanging in the wardrobe. The martyrs knew this feeling too, not the hesitation, but the humanity! They were not superheroes; they were young men, in fact, Pages, Soldiers, Farmers!! They had fears, they had doubts too! On the morning of their deaths, some of them probably wished they had run, some of them probably regretted the choices that led them to the fire, but here is what they did not do: they did not let their weakness define them! They walked anyway, they burned anyway, they entered glory anyway! Today, I am picking up the thread not because I am strong but because the martyrs are worth it and because the millions of shillings raised so far deserve to be honored and the Martyrs' attire, i.e., the Ekitenge, unveiled by Rt. Hon. Kule Benson Baritazare deserves to be seen, and because 3rd June is coming, whether I am ready or not... So let us commence, fifty-five days to Namugongo, one martyr's story each day, there is no more silence. St. Charles Lwanga, pray for us when we are weak, carry us when we cannot walk, and forgive us for the days we say nothing. #55DaysToNamugongo #UgandaMartyrsDay2026 #DailyMartyr #ChristIsAliveInYouAndMe

Kasese Diocese seeks Shs4.5b for Martyrs Day celebrations. Kasese Diocese which is under the Mbarara Archdiocese last hosted Martyrs Day celebrations in 2005 #MonitorUpdates monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/na…

@KKACCO256 @DioceseOfKasese @Kkali2004 @AMuserero74 #Christisalive in you and me

Saturday 21st February 2026; It was a great day of games with our brothers and sisters from @KKACCO256 , Kasese Diocese at Jeph International University. We are grateful to all participants and supporters who made it a success. @Kasesediocese will animate this year's Uganda Martyrs' Day celebrations on 3rd June 2026 at Uganda Martyrs' Shrine Namugongo. #TuriBamweOmuriKristo

We appreciate you for the generous contributions of UGX 10,000,000 towards animation of Namugongo. #KaseseToNamugongo #AMDA

On Sunday, 22nd February 2026, we held our Monthly Mass animated by the Philosophy Centre Jinja. The Rt. Rev. Francis Aquirinus Kibira, Bishop of Kasese Diocese, was the Main Celebrant. In his homily, he called upon the faithful to embrace fasting, almsgiving, and prayer during the Lenten Season. He further underscored the need; to unite and work together for the common good; and to know, love and serve God. Kasese Diocese will animate this year’s 3rd June 2026 Uganda Martyrs’ Celebrations at the Uganda Martyrs’ Shrine Namugongo. #TuriBamwe #OmuriKristo

Erizooba twine Misa yaitu yaburi kwezi shaaha ina z'akasheshe. Nituza kushaba na Kasese Diocese, @KKACCO256. Orayebembere Ekitambo kya Misa n'Omuriisa w'Eitware rya Kasese Rt Rev Francis Aquirinus Kibira. Aba Philosophy Centre Jinja nibaza kutuhwera kushaba. Mwije tushabe.