Uganda's Flagship Youth Assembly
The National Youth Convention is Uganda's own World Youth Day. Instituted by the Uganda Episcopal Conference in the early 1990s, it brings Catholic youth from all four Ecclesiastical Provinces - Kampala, Gulu, Mbarara and Tororo - together in one place, and rotates among the provinces, each host adding its own cultural richness. It has grown into one of East Africa's largest Catholic youth gatherings.
For 2026 the honour falls to the Kampala Ecclesiastical Province and its youth apostolate, KEYA - uniting the youth of Kampala, Kasana-Luweero, Lugazi, Kiyinda-Mityana and Masaka - led by the Kampala Archdiocesan Children and Youth Apostolate (KAYA), founded in 1974 by Cardinal Emmanuel Nsubuga and grounded in Loving, Caring and Sharing.
Anchored on Christ's call to "Take Courage" (John 16:33), NYC 2026 gathers 20,000-25,000 young pilgrims for one week at the Y.E.S Center, Nsambya, Kampala - Youth to Encounter the Savior. It is for Catholic youth aged 13 to 35, youth leaders and chaplains - and delegates from neighbouring countries are warmly welcome.
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