Pilgrims From Kenya Remember Colleagues

Herbert Mugagga

3 June 2011

A group of Kenyan pilgrims who were walking to Namugongo to take part in this year’s Martyr’s Day celebrations today, made a stopover in Mabira Forest, where they held prayers in remembrance of two of their colleagues who died at the same place in 2008.

This group that was made up of mainly youths, spent close to an hour praying for two of their fallen colleagues, who were knocked and killed on the spot by a speeding truck that was heading to Kampala. At this spot, the Diocese of Lugazi where this place is situated constructed a monument as a way of remembering them.

The prayers were held on Wednesday evening at Lwankima in Najjembe Sub-county in Buikwe District, near the Mabira Police Barracks on the Jinja-Kampala highway. The leader of the group, Mr Joseph Ominde, said they intend to approach authorities in Uganda to allocate them this piece of land so that they construct a small chapel that they will name after the two fallen pilgrims, who he believes will someday be beatified as martyrs.

Whats intention?

“The intention is to ensure that people from here and Kenya make a stopover and pray for these young men who I should say died because of their faith,” said Mr Ominde.

This group later after the prayers, proceeded to St. Kizito Catholic Parish in Lugazi where they a spent a night before continuing with their journey to Namugongo.

Kenyans make the biggest contingent of foreign pilgrims who walk to Namugongo each year to celebrate the lives of the first Christian converts.

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