By Agency
This years’ martyr’s day celebration has had a special pomp with exceedingly more people from all walks of life flocking the catholic shrines.
By 6:00 a.m., all spaces inside the shrines were full, yet more attendees continued to arrive, forming long queues at every entrance point.
Before the event, the shrines had been expanded with more spaces created in the wooded areas behind the central pavilion.
However the internet was off. We cannot broadcast,” was the desperate cry from several media teams as they scrambled to find solutions.
Later, it was discovered that the network had been jammed by the presidential security team on the ground.
Media groups pleaded with the central organizing committee to request that the Special Forces Command (SFC) team allow them to work.
Alex Atuhairwe, a member of the organizing committee coordinating the press, later informed the media that they had spoken to the president’s security team to have the jammers turned off so the media could broadcast.
Information from Britannica shows that in military activities, jamming is frequently employed to confuse enemy radar or communications.
This disrupts the targeted communication by overwhelming it with interference, rendering it ineffective.
After engaging the security team, the network was restored.
However, when President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and First Lady Janet Museveni arrived at the event, the network was disrupted again, affecting the event managers who relied on wireless equipment for sound.
Every year, Christians in Uganda and beyond flock to Namugongo to pay homage to 45 young converts who were killed between 1885 and 1887 on the orders of Kabaka Mwanga. Of these, 22 were Catholic converts and were canonized as saints. The 22 martyrs became the first saints from sub-Saharan Africa.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of their canonization, a memorable event that took place in the Vatican, Rome. the celebrations are led by Nebbi Diocese under the theme; As for Me and My Household We Shall Serve the Lord.
