On a warm Sunday afternoon in the quiet village of Nakalanga, Kaliro district, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni stood beside a tree he had just planted, symbolically rooting himself once again into the cultural and spiritual soil of Busoga.
His message was as bold as it was familiar: development, unity and the fight against poverty must be anchored not just in policy, but in the sacred places that shape Uganda’s identity. At this year’s St. Gonzaga commemoration, Museveni pledged to invest in the rehabilitation of religious tourism sites in the Busoga sub-region.
The promise, delivered during a deeply symbolic ceremony that blended faith, politics and heritage, signals what could be a new chapter in Uganda’s approach to spiritual tourism and regional development.
The day began with a morning Mass led by the Most Rev. Emmanuel Obbo, archbishop of the Tororo archdiocese, which set a tone of reflection and hope. Archbishop Obbo preached a message of holistic peace, one that must extend from family life to political discourse, framing religious sacrifice as a timeless act of national value.
“This act would further the spreading of the gospel of Jesus Christ,” he said, “which martyrs like St. Gonzaga laid down their lives for without hesitation.”
Later, as the Catholic faithful gathered under a sweltering sun, Museveni arrived by presidential jet, met with clerics in private, and proceeded to the memorial site, where he was honored with religious gifts—a rosary, a cross, a Bible and a portrait of St. Gonzaga.
He then planted a tree, cheered on by a crowd whose enthusiasm blended both spiritual devotion and political allegiance. Speaking to pilgrims and residents alike, Museveni said the development of religious tourism sites such as St. Gonzaga, St. Matia Mulumba, and Bishop Hanington was not just a matter of heritage, but of national progress.
“The heart of sacrifice is part and parcel of the lives of Ugandans,” he declared.
“Remodeling religious tourism sites to meet modern standards rhymes well with the true heart of sacrifice embedded in their everyday lives.”
His plan is to include the renovation of these sites in the national budget for the 2026/2027 financial year. The goal: a Namugongo-style transformation that would foster both spiritual reverence and economic gain.
“This refurbishment will foster both local and religious tourism, which is key in the general improvement of the incomes of the people,” Museveni said.
Local leaders seized the moment to push for complementary infrastructure upgrades. Bulamogi MP Sanon Bwiire called for better road access to the Gonzaga site and
emphasized the need for reliable electricity and water to attract hospitality investors.
“With these amenities in place,” he said, “the general incomes of the people hosting the Namugongo tourism site will drastically improve.” deputy prime minister Rebecca Kadaga, herself a native of Busoga, expressed both optimism and frustration.
She noted that international tourism experts had identified Busoga’s untapped potential, but criticized the ministry of Tourism for failing to list the region’s religious sites as official destinations.
“There is a need to aggressively market Busoga’s religious sites,” she said. “They have the potential to create jobs for the youth.” In a letter read on his behalf, Jinja diocese bishop Rt. Rev. Charles Wamika echoed this message, saying spiritual leaders should be partners in poverty alleviation.
“There is nothing wrong with meeting religious leaders to promote wealth creation,” he said.
“We are equally tired of preaching to impoverished followers. Preaching to people on an empty stomach is a waste of time.”
President Museveni responded by pledging 300 million shillings to the Jinja Diocese priests’ Sacco to launch development projects. The contribution, he said, was a show of faith in the Church’s ability to lead by example in transforming communities. But it wasn’t all solemnity.
The event ended with political theatre as a group of young supporters in yellow T-shirts gifted the president with a symbolic warrior’s spear, shield, and stool. Museveni, grinning broadly, hoisted the spear high and struck a warrior’s pose—his youthful supporters erupting in applause as the symbolism took flight: the old general, still ready for the battles ahead.
For Museveni, who has ruled Uganda for nearly four decades and is gearing up for yet another election in 2026, the moment in Kaliro wasn’t just about religious tourism—it was a reaffirmation of his enduring grip on power, his message of development through unity, and his belief that the Church and state must walk hand in hand to lift Uganda’s most marginalized regions.
What remains to be seen is whether this latest vow to invest in Uganda’s spiritual landmarks will move from rhetoric to reality—or whether, like many political promises made under the sun, it too will fade with the setting light.
The story of the Uganda Martyrs has been distorted by the church so to he extent that many believe these people were killed for their faith.
Without giving you free answers, i want you to ask questions, what was the age group of the people who were killed and later named Uganda Martyrs, what were their relationship with the white man before they were killed, why didnt the white man stop their execution, what was the age group and sex of those who were killed, how come there was no single man among them, the answers to those questions will lead you to one thing, the sex affiliation of Kabaka Mwanga.
Did you also know that all the people who were called Uganda martyrs were actually pages who were distributed in the various palaces of the Kings of Buganda to learn he ways of Buganda, to love the king and the kingdom and that i was a norm in Buganda to do so? To simplify this puzzle, Kabaka Mwanga was actually gay and was having homo sex with the pages