President Yoweri Museveni has laid the foundation stone for the Uganda Martyrs Museum in Namugongo. On 5 Oct 2014 the Ugandan president formally marked the beginning of construction of the museum, built to honor 49 Anglican and Roman Catholics converts murdered for their faith by the King of Buganda between 1885 and 1887. In 1964 Pope Paul VI canonized the Catholic martyrs and the Roman Catholic Church built a basilica in Namugongo. Anglican and Catholic pilgrims from across the Uganda gather on June 3rd at the shrine’s Anglican and Catholic churches to honor their faith and celebrate the conversion of Uganda to Christianity. At the ceremony President Museveni pledged his personal financial support for the project with the balance of funding expected to come from a nationwide fundraising campaigns.
