It is now 130 years since the Uganda Martyrs were brutally murdered (by burning) on the orders of Kabaka Mwanga between 1885 and 1887 for the religious beliefs and inclinations.
Very few or none of us living today will live to be the age of 130, but the Martyrs still live in our minds because of the legacy they left. And that is why hundreds of thousands of people are converging on Namugongo Martyrs Shrines (both Catholic and Anglican) tomorrow to celebrate the lives of these gallant sons of Uganda who have made this country one of eternal pilgrimage since the Catholic Martyrs were Canonised in 1964.
Indeed, if all goes as reported, this year Pope Francis 1 is expected to visit Uganda. If this happens, he will be the third Pope to visit the country that produced some of the most celebrated people of the Catholic faith, the Uganda martyrs.
Several arguments have been raised by scholars, with some saying those killed were rebellious to Kabaka Mwanga and therefore had to face the consequences resulting from what they believed in. However, what remains outstanding is that these young men, most of them below 25 years were steadfast in the conviction that religion was an important aspect of society: it gives rise to morality.
Today, the Ugandan society is at crossroads; moral decadence has ensconced the minds of most of the public sector practitioners, with corruption taking the lead in most of their actions. Similarly, other areas of society have not been spared of the decadence, and we now have to brace ourselves everyday for news about social malaises like murders, rape, practice of Gayism and Lesbianism and pornography, among others.
So, this year as the country pays tribute to the Martyrs, it is important to emulate what they stood and died for, as that would help the country re-orient its moral bearing.
