Busega Martyrs Monument
Busega Martys Church is located in Nateete Archdeaconry Namirembe Diocese.
The Church is adjacent to a place where the first 3 Martyrs to be killed for their faith were brutally murdered under the order of king Mwanga 2 of Buganda. Buganda had 13 execution sites and one of them was Busega Mpimaerebera. Mpiima is a Luganda word for something which was used for caning made out of Hippopotamus skin.
Alexander Mackay asked for leave and the Kabaka wanted to give him escort which he refused. He then asked the young boys: Yusuf Lugalama, Makko Kakumba and Nuwa Serwanga to accompany him.
The boys didn’t know that the king and his Chiefs had passed a decree that all Baganda escorting Europeans were to be granted permission by the Kabaka. When they were escorting Mackay, they were arrested by Kapalaga Mujaasi; brought before the king, accused of treason and condemned to death.
On hearing of the Uganda Martyrs, Bishop Wilkinson of Northern and Central Europe was touched and sent out a beautiful memorial cross to be erected on the Martyrs site at Busega. The Monument is a massive unique cross of Granite, weighing some two and half tons. On Thursday July 14, 1910, a Commemoration Service was held, led by the Rt. Rev. Alfred Tucker Bishop of Uganda to unveil the Martyrs memorial cross.
In 1967 a Catholic Priest visited the Bishop of Namirembe Rt. Rev. Dr. Dunstan Nsubuga.The priest wanted to visit the Martyrs sites and the Bishop ordered Rev. Yayiro Bbale to take him to Busega. It was all bush and the Bishop was touched.
The Christians later started building a church at the site and on 14/4/1980 the Church council at Nateete agreed to build the church.
A witch had placed herself on Church land and this was evicted after a great struggle. Finally on 28/1/1984 the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev. Dr. Robert Runcie laid the foundation stone and officially opened the church.
Currently every Sunday next to the day of 31st January of every year the Bishop of Namirembe leads the Christians to commemorate the Martyrs. The Church service is always led by the youth of the Diocese.