Country Uganda District Wakiso District Constituency Kira Town Council Municipality Kira Town | Region Central Region County Kyaddondo Elevation 1,180 m | |
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Weather 27°C, Wind S at 14 km/h, 70% Humidity | ||
Namugongo is a township in the Central Region of Uganda.
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Location
Namugongo is in Kyaliwajjala Ward, in Kira Municipality, Wakiso District, approximately 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) north-east of Uganda's capital Kampala. It is bordered by Nsasa to the north, Sonde and Bukeerere to the east, Bweyogerere to the south-east, Naalya and Kireka directly to the south, Kyaliwajjala to the south-west, and central Kira to the west and north-west. The coordinates of Namugongo are 0°23'43.0"N, 32°39'57.0"E (Latitude:0.395289; Longitude: 32.665835).
Uganda Martyrs
On 3 June 1886, 32 young men, pages of the court of King Mwanga II of Buganda, were burned to death at Namugongo for their refusal to renounce Christianity. They were Anglican or Catholic. Annually on 3 June, Christians from Uganda and other parts of the world congregate at Namugongo to commemorate the lives and religious beliefs of the Uganda Martyrs. Crowds have been estimated in hundreds of thousands in some years. In June 2015, an estimated 2 million people attended the event.
The Namugongo Shrines were first recognised by Joshua Serufusa-Zake (1884-25 June 1985) when he was the Sabaddu of Kira Sub-County. He constructed a structure at the Namugongo site, where it appears shrines were built later for prayer.
His interest in Christianity was enhanced by his father's participation in the wars that brought Christianity to Uganda. His father, Semei Musoke Seruma Katiginya, had earned a name for brevity "Ngubu" from the wars.
Canonization
Twenty two of the Catholic martyrs were canonized by Pope Paul VI on 18 October 1964 and are regarded as saints in the Catholic Church. A basilica has been built at the spot where the majority of them were burned to death. A church stands at the place where the Anglican martyrs met their death, about 2 miles (3.2 km) further east from the Basilica of the Uganda Martyrs. Documentation is available on 45 martyrs but it is believed that many more believers met their death at the command of Kabaka Mwanga II between 1885 and 1887.
Uganda Martyrs' Secondary School
Namugongo is the location of the Uganda Martyrs' Secondary School, one of Uganda's leading high schools. The mixed boarding school is a partner with the Stephen Shames Foundation, based in Brooklyn, New York State in the instruction of information technology methods and applications to high school students in Uganda.
Points of interest
The following points of interest are found at Namugongo or near its boundaries:
