Martyrs Day: Security Tightened as Over 3,000 Pilgrims Arrive

The Uganda Martyrs Day Celebrations will take place on June 3, 2023.

Millions of pilgrims, well-wishers and faith-based tourists are expected to gather at the Catholic Shrine in Namugongo, the Anglican Shrine at Nakiyanja, Mamre Prayer Centre and the Muslim Shrine at Namugongo. Although the majority of the pilgrims walk the journey of a lifetime for spiritual reasons, there are other well-wishers who come for recreational, physical, cultural and tourist reasons.

According to the respective organisers, over 3,000 pilgrims have safely arrived.

Even this year, celebrations come amidst a threat environment.

He urged urge pilgrims to be aware of their physical health and condition, by avoiding risks like subjecting themselves to hunger, thirst, standing for long hours, congestion and perseverance.

“In case of any signs of weakness, seek medical attention. To avoid food poisoning, pilgrims are urged to avoid undercooked or food kept outside for long hours in unsafe conditions.”

He also advised the pilgrims and well-wishers to strictly follow the rules and protocols at the venue like taking care of the common facilities, milestones signs, information panels and respect the pathway rules.

Enanga further encouraged the residents in Namugongo and Nakiyanja to anticipate large numbers of pilgrims, as well as disruptions in the traffic flow, especially on the 2nd – 3rd of June, 2023.

Tight security

“As seen in the past and across the globe, attacks can happen anytime and any place without warning. At this stage, there are no credible threats directed towards the Martyrs’ Day Celebration,” said SCP Fred Enanga, the Police Spokesperson.

“However, we do call upon all pilgrims, well-wishers and faith-based tourists, to remain vigilant and extra alert while at any of the venues. We encourage everyone to carry their ID, or another identification document, keep an eye on their personal belongings like wallets, and mobile phones, be wary of strangers, avoid leaving elders or children alone, inform family and friends about where they are etc,” he added.

“We urge them to make adjustments in their movements and other daily routines. Our level of preparedness remains very robust, with task teams camped at all the venues. We have fully mapped out the area, for hotspots and other high-risk targets, and put up tactical response teams, in place. In addition, our cyber and ICT teams have installed CCTV cameras and deployed unmanned aerial vehicles to monitor the conduct and movements of pilgrims.”

According to Enanga, the Police Airwing and UPDF will jointly conduct aerial surveillance, to watch the movements of pilgrims and any suspicious behaviour.

“All in all, the security posture is advanced and multi-layered. As a security precaution, the following items will be prohibited from entry into the venues; aerosols, ammunitions, animals other than police K9, backpacks exceeding size restrictions, bicycles, balloons, UAVs like drones other than for security, firearms, glass thermos, metallic containers, pepper, spray and any other items determined to be a potential hazard, to the public event.