Uganda’s President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni said the decision follows consultations with key stakeholders in the east African nation.
KAMPALA, Uganda — Uganda has postponed the 2026 Martyrs’ Day celebrations, traditionally held on June 3 at the Namugongo Martyrs Shrine in the country’s Catholic Archdiocese of Kampala, because of the Ebola outbreak in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), from where thousands of pilgrims travel annually for one of the world’s largest Catholic gatherings.
In a press release obtained by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, on May 17, Uganda President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni said the decision follows consultations with key stakeholders in the east African nation.
“After consultations with the national epidemic response task force and religious leaders, we have decided to postpone the Martyrs’ Day to a later date, which will be communicated,” Museveni said in the two-page press release by Uganda State House.
The Ugandan president explained that the decision to postpone the annual celebration “was made because Uganda receives thousands of pilgrims annually from eastern Congo, which is currently experiencing an Ebola outbreak.”
“To safeguard everyoneʼs lives, it is essential that this important event be postponed,” he added.
The Ugandan president, who
