Martyrs' Day is commemorated every year on June 3, in remembrance of the young Christian converts who refused to denounce their newly found religion between 1885 and 1887 to the annoyance of the then Kabaka Mwanga II of Buganda. He ordered that they are burnt to death.
The Speaker contest is mainly between Omoro County MP Jacob Oulanyah and Kamuli Woman MP, Rebecca Kadaga who has been serving as Deputy Speaker and speaker in the Tenth Parliament.
It was a colourful affair as the second batch of Members of the 11th Parliament took their oaths on Tuesday. These brought the total of the already sworn in MPs to 265 MPs after another 134 were sworn in on Monday.
So far, the pavement layer is almost completed with a small section left. The layer has been marked to enable taxis to park in an orderly manner. There are streets lights installed and steps constructed to ease the entry of passengers into the Park.
Every person elected to parliament takes the Oath of Allegiance and the Oath of Member of Parliament before they officially start their five-year term of office. The ceremony, which is following the alphabetical order of names of each legislator, will see 132 members take oath today, according to a programme issued by Parliament’s Director of Communications and Public Affairs, Helen Kawesa.
Key among the celebrants at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Namirembe included the Nnabagereka of Buganda, Sylvia Nagginda, the Speaker of the Buganda Lukiiko, Patrick Luwagga Mugumbule and Rubaga Division Mayor, Joyce Nabbosa Ssebuggwawo.
The leaders including the Church of Uganda –COU Archbishop Dr. Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu, Archbishop of Kampala Archdiocese Dr. Cyprian Kizito Lwanga and the Bishop of Namirembe Diocese Wilberforce Kityo Luwalira and others observed the Good Friday ritual at St. Paul’s Cathedral Namirembe.
In Kampala, the rain started as early as 5: 00 am and went on for several hours. It was a nightmare for candidates in the day section with many arriving awfully wet and shivering from coldness. Even after arriving at school, the candidates remained in the cold as they were seen on verandahs as they could not be allowed to access the classes before being checked.
Today's vaccination was targeting health workers in Kampala however many other people such as foreign dignitaries were also given the chance to receive the vaccine.
The voting was further interrupted by rains that lasted over 30 minutes prompting polling Assistants, agents and voters to improvise shelters while others fled the polling stations temporarily.
Although voting was meant to start at 7:00 am, voting started late at most polling stations because of delayed delivery of voting materials and the rains. In some places, like Bukoto, Ntinda and parts of Naguru voting had not yet started when the rains began.
In Kampala, the electorate were voting for the Lord Mayor, Directly Elected Councilors and Women Councilors for Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA). Candidates for the Lord Mayoral seat include incumbent Erias Lukwago, Nabilah Naggayi Ssempala, Joseph Mayanja, Daniel Kazibwe and Charles James Ssenkubuge, among others.
In Kampala, hundreds of voters flocked polling stations as early as 6 am to cast their ballot but many were disappointed by the late delivery of voting materials by the Electoral Commission.
Museveni was contesting with 10 other candidates in the race for the country's top office. According to declared results by EC Chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama, Museveni won the with 5,851,037 votes (58.64 per cent).
Hundreds of Christians poured into Churches across the country to participate in prayers under strict observance of the socially-distance to avoid the spread of COVID-19. At different prayer places, clerics focused their sermons on the 2021 general election and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Uganda Radio Network has taken a tour around the city, covering shops, arcades and malls both in the Central Business District and in the suburbs many of which remained closed, and now brings you the pictures.
