HEAVY SECURITY DEPLOYMENT IN MUNYONYO AFTER BOMB BLAST NEAR BASILICA

URN

There is heightened security in Munyonyo, an upscale suburb of Kampala, following a bomb blast that occurred just 100 meters from the entrance of the Munyonyo Martyrs Shrine Basilica early Tuesday morning.

The Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) counter-terrorism unit this morning intercepted and neutralized two armed terrorists in an intelligence-led operation. The joint security forces—comprising the army, police counter-terrorism units, Special Forces Command, and plain-clothed operatives—are now on heightened alert to ensure the Martyrs Day celebrations proceed without disruption.

The blast scene remains active, with the bomb squad and Scene of Crime officers combing the area for evidence. The bodies of the neutralized terrorists are still on the scene, and the Uganda Red Cross team is present to retrieve the remains.

Worshippers who attended Mass at the Basilica have been asked to remain inside following the completion of the service. The entrance to the Basilica has since been sealed off. Eyewitnesses described the moments leading up to the blast. 

Rashid Musisi, a boda boda rider, said a man carrying a woman on a motorcycle asked for directions to the Basilica at around 8:20 a.m. “They both had backpacks. About five minutes later, we heard a blast. At first, we thought it was a tire burst, but then people started running toward the scene,” he said. “We found their lifeless bodies there. They were still recognizable—that’s how we knew it was the same duo.”

Another eyewitness, Fiona Nakafero, said panic broke out immediately after the explosion. “People who had lined up to enter the Basilica, along with residents nearby, fled in fear,” she said. Colonel Chris Magezi, the Acting Director of Defence Public Information, reassured the public of their safety.

“It was an intelligence-led operation, and the security services are on heightened alert to ensure the Martyrs Day celebrations proceed without disruption,” he said.