By Leonard Kamugisha Akida,
ENTEBBE
Two foreign students from Malawi and Tanzania have arrived in Uganda ahead of the awarding ceremony for the 2025 Uganda Martyrs Essay Writing Competition, scheduled to take place on Martyrs Day, June 3.
Eliza Andrea, representing Lilongwe Diocese in Malawi, and Ayoub Hamad Lesso, from Ifakara Diocese in Tanzania, were received at Entebbe International Airport by officials from Uganda Martyrs University (UMU), the competition organizers and are apparently at the university main campus in Nkozi, Mpigi district. Both students were accompanied by their guardians.
Andrea emerged second in the competition for her essay on promoting the legacy of the Uganda Martyrs on an international scale. Lesso, who tied for third place, also impressed the judges with his submission. The two will be joined by two Ugandan students during the awards ceremony at Namugongo.
Leading the winners is Asiimwe Ritah Precious, a student of St. Charles Lwanga Secondary School in Kiyinda–Mityana Diocese, whose essay explored the transformative potential of the Martyrs’ virtues of integrity, bravery, and moral leadership. Asiimwe secured the top position and will receive a cash prize of $500 and a commemorative plaque.
Andrea, the second-place winner, will walk away with $400 and a plaque, while Lesso and Mukamataremwa Caroline of St. Goretti Girls Secondary School in Fort Portal Diocese, who tied in third place, will each receive $300 and a plaque.
The annual essay competition was launched in 2022 by Uganda Martyrs University as part of efforts to preserve and promote the legacy of the 45 Uganda Martyrs including 22 Catholic and 23 Anglican converts who were executed between 1885 and 1887 under the orders of Kabaka Mwanga II of Buganda.
“This competition is more than a history lesson,” said Prof. Patrick Kyamanywa, Chancellor of UMU. “It’s a bridge between the courage of the past and the possibilities of the present. We want our youth to reflect on these values and let them shape the future.”
According to Proscovia Nabatte, Head of Public Relations and Marketing at UMU, this year’s edition was the first to include participants from outside the East African Community, with Malawi taking part for the first time.
“We received 58 entries from Uganda, Tanzania and Malawi. Out of these, 23 were shortlisted by a panel of 10 judges, and four winners were selected,” Nabatte said.
This year’s Martyrs Day celebrations will be animated by Lugazi Diocese at the Uganda Martyrs Catholic Shrine in Namugongo. The Northern Cluster of the Church of Uganda will lead the religious observances at the Anglican Martyrs Shrine in Nakiyanja, Namugongo.
