(MENAFN- AFP) A week before Pope Francis lands in Uganda on the second leg of his Africa tour, the country's Catholics and souvenir-sellers alike are getting excited.
As "Popemania" builds, images of the pontiff are giving the ubiquitous pictures of strongman President Yoweri Museveni a run for their money in the capital Kampala.
On the glass shelves of Jude Colour Solutions -- a self-declared "one stop centre for promotional items" -- four dollar (four euro) computer mouse pads with the pope's picture sit side-by-side with the usual bestseller bearing the presidential portrait.
"I'm very excited," said Catholic shop manager Bernard Ssenyondo, 32, when asked about the papal visit from November 27 to 29.
Francis will be the second pope Ssenyondo has seen, after John Paul II's visit in 1993, "when I was in primary school".
In pride of place on a high shelf sits Ssenyondo's prized possession: a trophy for "The Best Branding, Printing and Promotional Items Exhibitor in Uganda". And next to it, a Pope Francis vase. Only one of these items is for sale.
- Mass excitement -
"We are earning money from this!" said Ssenyondo, whose company began printing thousands of key rings, mugs, T-shirts and other souvenirs earlier this month, after being chosen as official trinket supplier by the local Catholic Church.
"I get international exposure, and our tourism industry is going to earn more," he predicted.
Uganda is the second of three African countries the pontiff will visit, after spending two days in neighbouring Kenya.
Kenya too is busy preparing for the visit, cleaning the streets and trimming trees, with giant billboards erected to welcome the pope.
Bishop Alfred Rotich, who is heading the church's preparations in Kenya, has said they are planning for a tenth of all Kenyan catholics to see the pope - around a million people.
After two days in Uganda, he will travel to Central African Republic, where his trip will end on November 30, according to a Vatican itinerary.
- Security concerns -
The three countries -- which have significant Catholic communities -- have been troubled by civil conflicts and violence, leading to increased security concerns surrounding the pope's visit.
Both Kenyan and Ugandan troops are fighting the Al-Qaeda linked Shebab insurgents in Somalia, and the Islamists have carried out a string of attacks in revenge.
Those include the 2010 Kampala bombings in which 76 people died, and in Kenya, an April massacre at Garissa university in which 148 people were killed, and a 2013 assault on Nairobi's Westgate shopping mall that killed 67.
Acting president of the Central African Republic Catherine Samba Panza has said she hopes the pope will go ahead with his visit to the conflict-hit country this month despite security concerns.
In Uganda, around two-fifths of people are Catholic.
"Pope Francis is down to earth," said John Paul Guminkiriza, 25, among many Ugandans named after John Paul II, following that previous pope's visit. Guminkiriza's family is staunchly Catholic and he has six nuns for aunts
His mother took him to wave at God's representative on earth back in 1993 but, being only three years old, "I don't have a lot of memories about that visit," he said.
Guminkiriza plans to rectify that by going to the Namugongo martyrs' shrine to hear a lecture from the pope, and hopes he might even have the chance to meet him.
"I am so grateful and happy for his visit, Uganda is really blessed," said Guminkiriza.
The chairperson of Catholic organisation, the Uganda Episcopal Conference, Archbishop John Baptist Odama, said preparations -- including road improvements, better street lighting, a massive security presence and tourism marketing -- were "going well".
Odama said the pope's message for Uganda to "keep on living in peace" would help many to "keep their faith" and make Catholicism in Uganda "stronger".
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.