Namugongo Anglican shrine shines with new amphitheatre, museum

The Namugongo Martyrs Anglican shrine has undergone a remarkable transformation with the construction of an amphitheater and a museum as part of a Shs 69 billion project.

Initially, the shrine was a bumpy place, but now it meets international standards. The late Mpalanyi Nkoyooyo, former archbishop of the Church of Uganda, spearheaded the fun- draising and construction efforts for the Uganda Martyrs museum to preserve the culture and story of the gruesome killing of 25 pages (servants) of King Mwanga II for failure to denounce Christianity.

The amphitheater, costing Shs 27 billion, has a sitting capacity of 4,000 people but can accommodate over 20,000 people.

The water spring has also been beautified with sculptures of Mukajanga, the Buganda kingdom’s chief executioner, and his helpers holding spears and other items that were used in the martyrdom. The construction of the amphitheater is at 97 per cent, and the church has created ample parking space for over 500 cars, located a few meters from the shrine.

“The amphitheater is a self-contained area. It has toilets and running water, parking space for VIPs, state-of-the-art lighting system around it, clear entrance and exit points and others,” Reverend Esau Kimanje said.

Kimanje said the church created an ample parking space for all people located a few meters from the shrine. It accommodates over 500 cars.

“We urge the police and other security agencies to grant access to pilgrims with cars for the utilization of the designated parking lot. This facility was specifically created to cater to their needs,” he stated.

Under the theme “United for Sustainable Services and Growth,” the celebrations will take place on Saturday, June 3, 2023, at Namugongo Anglican Shrine. The chief preacher for the event will be Archbishop Foley Beach of the Church of North America, with President Yoweri Museveni attending as the chief guest and the Archbishop Samuel Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu serving as the main celebrant.

“Archbishop Beach is expected to arrive on Thursday to allow him sufficient time to rest and take a guided tour of the shrine before Saturday, considering his role as the chief preacher. This is not his first visit to Uganda, as he previously served as the preacher during the installation of Archbishop Samuel Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu on March 1, 2020,” he added.

The celebrations are being organized by the 10 dioceses of Eastern Uganda, namely Karamoja, Mbale, Bukedi, North Karamoja, Soroti, Central Busoga, North Mbale, Busoga, Sebei, and Kumi. These dioceses have been entrusted with the task of mobilizing Shs 2 billion to facilitate the organization of the festivities.