KAMPALA – The Directorate for Ethics and Integrity in the Office of the President has confirmed that the National Commemoration of Bishop Hannington Day will be held on Thursday, 29th October 2026, at Kyando Hill in Mayuge District.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The development was announced by the Under Secretary, Directorate of Ethics and Integrity, Joel Wanjala, while addressing the press at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala on Thursday.
Joel Wanjala noted that this year’s theme, “Anchored in Christ for Unity, Peace and Stability,” carries a message of reconciliation, peace and unity that believers could embrace in building a stable and prosperous nation.
Bishop James Hannington was the first Anglican Bishop of Eastern Equatorial Africa, a diocese that stretched from the coast at Mombasa to Buganda. He camped at Kyando Hill in Bunya County, in today’s Mayuge District, where he preached the word of God.
He was killed on 29th October 1885 on the orders of Kabaka Mwanga, who saw the stranger arriving from the East as a threat to his kingdom. His body was first buried at Nyanza, but his family later brought his remains back to Uganda, where he now rests at Namirembe Hill, the seat of the Anglican Church in Uganda.
His martyrdom marked the beginning of the deaths of the Uganda Martyrs between 1885 and 1886, and it drew more missionary groups to Uganda who came to support and encourage the many people who had embraced the Christian faith.
The Bishop of Central Busoga, Rt. Rev. Patrick Wakula, noted that several activities are lined up in the days leading up to 29th October, with believers gathering at Kyando Hill for missionary work and ministry, each group spending a full day at the site.
The activities include school students and their teachers, a Youth Conference, a Men’s Conference and a Women’s Conference, as well as a week of Mission and Intercession in parishes across the area.
The main event on 29th October will be a Thanksgiving Service at Kyando Hill, followed by speeches, with the Diocese of Central Busoga slated to lead the commemoration, and the Main Celebrant will be the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Dr. Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu.
The President of Uganda, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, is expected to be the Chief Guest, and after the service, the Bishops will travel to Budimo in Busia District, the place where Bishop Hannington’s body was buried after retrieval from Nyanza.
The government’s long-term vision is to develop Kyando Hill into an International Religious Tourist Site, with a Site Development Committee and Development Plan already in place.
Bishop Wakula thanked the Church of Uganda, the Kyabazinga of Busoga’s Cultural Institution, Mayuge District Local Government, and the Ministries of Works and Transport, Tourism, Wildlife and other entities for their support in preparing and publicizing the event.
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