By Agency
Police and military have increased their presence at Namugongo as multitudes of pilgrims arrive for next Monday’s Martyrs Day celebrations.
On Wednesday, by 8 am, queues had started stretching at Namugongo Catholic Shrine as security personnel from Special Forces Command (SFC), Uganda People Defence Forces (UPDF), Traffic Police, and Field Force Unit (FFU) were patrolling and monitoring the entrance and exit points.
The arriving pilgrims have forced vehicles to move at a snail’s pace and congestion stretched from Nakiyanja swamp which is after the Anglican Shrines up to Kyaliwajjala trading centre.
Traffic police personnel have been deployed on both sides of the road to ensure speed limits that do not lead to the crashing of the exhausted pilgrims.
The pilgrims from Nebbi arrived in Kampala on Tuesday and spent the night at Naguru Catholic Church.
Police and its sister counterparts have also deployed in the access routes to avert incidents of thugs mugging, or snatching pilgrims’ items.
By Tuesday, 45 suspected criminals including those that were using stones to attack people had been arrested with the help of covert officers and Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras. Luke Owoyesigyire, the Deputy Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson, said operations targeting suspected criminals will continue.
