As the country prepares for the arrival of the Pope this evening, members of the general public have been assured of maximum security.
The assurance is given by Security Minister Mary Karoro Okurut who says adequate deployment of security personnel has been done to ensure safety of everybody.
She however says the issue of security should not be left to the security agencies alone, calling for vigilance from members of the public as well.
The police spokesperson Mr. Fred Enanga, over 800 security personnel have been deployed to ensure order on the road.
According to the Uganda Episcopal Conference, the apex in-country forum of the church leaders, the Holy Father arrives at Entebbe International Airport at 4:50PM.
He will meet the president at State House Entebbe and then head to Kampala where he will hold separate meetings with foreign diplomats.
The Pontiff will then go to St Andrew Kaggwa’s shrine in Munyonyo where martyrdom started.
After a night in Mbuya, Pope Francis will head to Namugongo for the holy mass tomorrow.
He will spend 30 minutes at the Nakiyanja Protestant martyrs shrine before celebrating mass at the Catholic shrine in Namugongo at 8:30am.
At least two million people are expected here tomorrow to commemorate 51 years since the canonization of Uganda martyrs.
The place will open at midday today for pilgrims to begin converging before it closes to the public at 6am tomorrow.
After Namugongo, the Pope will meet over 10,000 youth at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds before going to a church-run charity home in Nalukolongo that houses over 600 disabled and elderly people.
He will end the day with a meeting with the clergy and several religious women and men at Lubaga Cathedral, and leave for the Central African Republic on Sunday morning.
In the meantime, South Sudan President Salva Kiir and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame are expected in the country today ahead of the Pope’s open-air mass tomorrow.
The state minister for International Relations, Okello-Oryem says Kiir confirmed his trip while the Rwandan leader’s presence wasn’t certain following the unfortunate loss of his mother.
