President Museveni Welcomes Mama Nyerere To Uganda

President Museveni has welcomed Mama Maria Nyerere to Uganda ahead of the Uganda Martyrs Day celebrations on 3rd June. The President welcomed the former Tanzanian First Lady during a pompous event at State Lodge Nakasero on Friday afternoon.

I am always pleased to welcome Mama Maria Nyerere to Uganda. Her idea to pray for the canonization and beatification of our Father Mwalimu Nyerere is commendable.

President Yoweri Museveni

Mama Nyerere usually makes an annual pilgrimage to Namugongo for the Uganda Martyrs Day, a celebration that the President appreciates for uniting people from across the globe.

The commemoration of the Uganda Martyrs is evidently a uniting factor as people from all over the world converge here for this purpose.

President Museveni

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According to President Museveni, the celebration of Uganda Martyrs is an opportunity to unite Africans. The unity of Africans adds a brick to pushing former Tanzania President Mwalimu Julius Nyerere’s vision for Africa.

Mama Maria Nyerere

“Each year when you come, you see how many people turn up from all parts of Africa, and that was my vision. So, we who are still alive, led by you, are still pushing the vision in different ways. This is another way of looking at African integration,” said President Museveni.

Nyerere’s Beatification Prayer

Mama Maria Nyerere jets into the country earlier than the annual Martyrs Day to attend her late husband’s annual Beatification Prayer Day at Namugongo Catholic Shrine. This prayer takes place every 1st June with a vision of declaring the former President a Saint in the Catholic Church.

When Pope Benedict XVI declared Nyerere a Servant of God on May 13, 2005, the journey towards his sainthood was started.On May 13, 2005, Pope Benedict XVI declared Nyerere a Servant of God, the first step towards his beatification and then canonization to sainthood. After this declaration by the Holy Father, Catholic faithful started holding mass to pray for his beatification on 1st June in 2009.

Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere was Tanzania’s first president when they gained independence from the British in 1961. He ruled the country up to 1985 when he retired from office and handed over to Ali Hassan Mwinyi. Nyerere died on 14th October 1999 at 77.