50 Shillings Basilica of the Uganda Martyrs

The Uganda Martyrs — 22 young Catholic converts executed on the orders of Kabaka Mwanga II between 1885 and 1887 — were canonized by Pope Paul VI in October 1964, the first canonization ceremony ever held outside St. Peter's Basilica, taking place at the Vatican nonetheless before a crowd of over 80,000. Uganda's commemorative gold program of 1969–1970 was issued partly to mark the fifth anniversary of that canonization and to generate foreign currency through collector sales, a common strategy among newly independent African states with limited hard currency reserves.

The Basilica at Namugongo, built on the site of the martyrdoms, was still under construction when this coin was struck.