A total of 78 foot pilgrims from the Democratic Republic of Congo-DRC are set to undergo Ebola screening upon entering Uganda to participate in this year’s Martyrs Day celebrations.
By Saturday afternoon, the pilgrims were temporarily hosted at St. Michael Church–Kabuyiri in Kasese District, near the Uganda–DRC border, as they awaited mandatory health screening, delaying their planned journey of faith to Namugongo.
The faithful arrived in Kasese on Friday from the Catholic Diocese of Butembo-Beni in eastern DRC and are among thousands of believers expected to take part in the annual June 3 Uganda Martyrs Day celebrations at Namugongo.
Fr. Richard Sausi, Chairperson of the Health Committee for the Namugongo pilgrimage, said the pilgrims will be subjected to mandatory Ebola screening before they are cleared to continue their journey.
The precautionary measure follows an Ebola outbreak in the DRC, where health authorities have reportedly confirmed at least 80 deaths as of Saturday. Uganda has also registered an imported Ebola case, with one confirmed death, according to the Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary, Dr Diana Atwine.
Fr. Sausi revealed that authorities have temporarily halted the pilgrims’ onward movement as surveillance teams from the Kasese District Health Department conduct screening exercises. He noted that the decision on whether the group will proceed to Namugongo will be made by Kasese District health officials in consultation with the Ministry of Health.
Meanwhile, the Diocesan Health Committee has mobilised more than 250 health workers to support pilgrims along the Kasese–Namugongo route and at the Namugongo Martyrs Shrine during the celebrations.
All pilgrims from Kasese Diocese will also undergo mandatory medical screening before they are officially flagged off for the annual pilgrimage on May 19.
Speaking on the matter, the Ministry of Health Communications Officer, Felix Ainebyoona, confirmed that arrangements are underway to screen all pilgrims entering Uganda from the DRC through Kasese before further guidance is issued.
