After the Christians (martyrs of Uganda) had been arrested and sentenced to death in the morning of the 26th of May 1886 at Munyonyo palace by Kabaka (king) Daniel Mwanga II the 31st king of Buganda, the condemned (The Uganda Martyrs) were divided out amongst the various executioners for safekeeping as they awaited a signal from the Kabaka to start the match of death.

When the orders came through late that evening, the condemned were matched slowly towards Namugongo through the now-famous Salaam road, the name “Salaama road” comes from the Arabic word “salaam” that was got from the Arabic greeting "Peace be unto you," "As-Salaam-Alaikum,"

When the Arab traders first penetrated into Buganda (considered in central Africa then) in the 19th century, Kabaka Ssuuna II who was the reigning as the 29th king of Buganda (reigned between 1814 and 1832) was convinced by the traders who spread Islam alongside trade to pass a number of decrees to Islamize Buganda.

Among the new laws were for families to eat together on mats, eating with the right hand, having ablution stones in every compound and for each of his subjects following the road leading to his Munyonyo palace to greet in Arabic "As-Salaam-Alaikum," from which Salaama was adopted to become the name of the road.

It is, however, important to note that Kabaka Ssuna established his official palace in Mulago, and transferred it to many other hills as it was the tradition before finally taking it to Wamala where he died and was buried (now Wamala tombs).

The prisoners then encountered Mukajjanga, the chief executioner of Namugongo who had walked ahead to prepare for his first victim among those that were martyred in 1886. In the march of a considerable body of condemned persons to their place of execution, a traditional ritual had to be observed, this included the slaughter of one victim at the point of departure and one at each execution-site or main crossroads along the route as it was believed to divert the revengeful activities of the ghosts of the victims.

It was In line with this ritual that Mukajanga drove his spear twice into St. Potiano Ngondwe and ordered his men to hack the martyr’s corpse to pieces, which they did, scattering the remains in all directions. It is also here, just opposite the current shrine/church of St. Pontiano Ngondwes at Kyamula on Salaama road (Ttaka Jjunge) that both catholic and Anglican prayed together for the first time by reciting the Lord’s Prayer as the executioners went about their work.

In the photo below (taken at the martyrdom spot of St. Pontiano Ngondwe) are brothers of St. Francis of Assis Order of Friars Minor (Franciscan missionaries) who are the caretakers of the Uganda Martyrs Catholic Shrine/parish Munyonyo.