Uganda’s Ministry of Tourism Wildlife and Antiquities in collaboration with the country’s Ministry of Works and Transport are in advanced stages of developing a new tourism product dubbed the Martyrs Trail which they believe will aid sustainability, preservation, documentation and development of religious tourism in the East African country.
The trail will be in memory of a group of 22 Catholic and 23 Anglican converts to Christianity who were executed between 31 January 1885 and 27 January 1887 and are now celebrated every June 3 in Namugongo, a Kampala suburb.
According to Hon Martin Mugarra, the Stata Minister for Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, the government will also develop a Muslim site in Namugongo after the government together with leaders from the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) agreed to work together on the issue.
“We have developed a martyr’s trail to make sure that people who visit Namugongo can stay longer and visit a number of sites. Working with the churches and Muslim leadership, we have through the new Museums and Monuments Act gazetted a number of religious sites to make sure we create more religious tourism products that will improve faith and tourism earnings,” Mugarra said.
The proposed sites will give and depict a complete story of the martyrs and their journey to martyrdom and while also display some of their remains as well as documents.
Much of this information has over the years been passed on through folk tales by word of mouth yet many of the eye witnesses and living relatives of the martyrs are frail and dying off.
Also, as the population grows, pressure brought about by development threatens the existence of some of these religious sites if they are not gazetted.
The martyrs trail will cover areas where the martyrs were born, tortured, trekked, attended catechism classes, and killed.
According to a draft, the trail will begin from Kasubi tombs where Kabaka Mwanga was laid to rest, then to Namirembe Cathedral where British Bishop Hannington’s remains are buried, to Lubaga Cathedral where some of the archives of the 22 martyrs are kept.
It also incorporates important sites like Mulungu, Kigungu which are critical in the genesis of martyrdom. Others are Kabaka’s Lake, Mengo Palace and Old Kampala area from where St Mathias Mulumba was killed.
The trail then goes on through Naalya, to Kireka where St Gonzaga collapsed and was beheaded, and it ends in Namugongo where the martyrs were burnt to ashes. Here, there is the Anglican shrine in which their remains are kept and the well that never gets dry in which the blood of the machetes used by the executioners were washed.
Religious tourism is one of the key products that the country views as top selling if properly developed with the Uganda martyrs as a bigger highlight to it.
It is little wonder therefore that the government through the ministry of tourism contributes UGX 3 billion annually to ensure the success of the martyr’s day celebrations which not only attracts domestic visitors but also continental and global attention.
This year, according to authorities, about three million pilgrims from around the world were received at Namugongo during the martyrs’ day celebration.
“For us we classify them as tourists not just pilgrims and it is serious business for the country with visitors from Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria and other countries across the world,” Mugarra added.
According to the tourism performance report 2023, foreign religious tourists that trickled into Uganda were in excess of 52,000 up from 39,000 in 2022 indicating a 32% increase.
Noteworthy though, Uganda’s first martyrs were Muslims in 1874.
According to the Secretary General of the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council, Abbas Sekyanzi Muluubya, the Muslim faith has set aside 3 days to commemorate the Muslim martyrs (shiwadas) beginning from 7th June.
“We will be having a special dua and prayer at Namugongo but we are also going to learn by way of having scholar presentations to know what martyrdom means in the Muslim faith,” he said.
Mufti Ramathan Mubajje will flag off a hero’s trail from Wamala tombs where Kabaka Ssuuna received the first Muslims.
