East Africans Embark on Historic Pilgrimage to Honour Mwalimu Nyerere
By Joshua Kagoro & Julius Yiga Bakabaage
KAMPALA - Two Kiira Motors buses carrying East African citizens have been flagged off for a historic pilgrimage to Nyerere’s ancestral home in Butiama, Tanzania.
This journey, organized by the Afrika Mashariki Fest is also in celebration of the silver jubilee of the revived East African Community (EAC).
The pilgrimage is led by students and aims to reflect on Nyerere’s enduring legacy and his advocacy for African unity and development.
Initially planned to take the Mutukula-Mwanza route, the journey will now proceed through the Busia-Kenya route following consultations with security officials. This change was made to ensure a smoother passage with better road conditions.
"We had planned to travel via Mutukula, but after discussing with security teams, we have opted for the Busia-Kenya route, which is shorter and offers better infrastructure," explained Dr Ronex Tendo Kisembo, coordinator of the Twende Butiama trip and CEO of Afrika Mashariki Fest.
Simon Peter Okosh, the Acting Director of Operations for the Uganda Police, assured the travelers of heightened security throughout their journey and encouraged them to embrace Kiswahili as a tool for fostering regional integration.
" Let us try to learn and perfect the Kiswahili language, we are trying to integrate East Africa and this is part of the integration, it is a pilgrimage but it is also making us know each other to integrate," Okosh emphasized.
The group will arrive in Tanzania in time for the official commemoration on October 14, where they will join other East Africans in honoring Nyerere’s contributions to the region's progress.