Exciting routes have been carved out for runners participating in the second edition of the Absa-KH3-7 Hills Run starting at Kololo Independence Grounds on March 17.

The charity run that is organized under the theme ‘Run for Her’ will have both 5 and 21-km routes starting at Kololo at 6 am with a warm-up session and official flagging off.

The 22km race, spanning the 7 Hills of Kampala, will set off from Kololo Airstrip to Acacia Avenue, Kyadondo Road, and Akii-Bua Road, before connecting to Nakasero Hill Road and the Kyaggwe Road.

It then takes the Rashid Khamis Road, and Ginnery Road, and then connects to the Old Kampala Road and Namirembe Roads. From Namirembe Road, the route goes through Willis Road, Centenary Road, Cathedral Hill Road, Albert Cook Road to Mutesa I Road, Stensera Road, St. Lawrence University Lane, and connects to the Lubiri Ring Road.

The route then connects to Musajja Alumbwa Road, then to Lubiri Ring Road, Mengo Hill Road, Nsambya Road, Nsambya Estate Road, then to Heritage Road and Gaba Road, then to Kibuli Road, Mbogo Road before winding to the 8th Street Industrial Area, Mukwano Road, Jinja Road, then to Wampewo Avenue and subsequently Kololo Airstrip.

The 5km race participants will also set off from Kololo Airstrip to John Babiha (Acacia) Avenue to Kololo Hill Drive, before heading to Prince Charles Drive, Ibis Vale to Impala Avenue, Upper Kololo Terrace, then to Wampewo Avenue before finally returning to the airstrip.

The runners will receive ribbons upon completing each of Kampala’s renowned seven hills, including Nakasero, Old Kampala, Namirembe, Rubaga, Mengo, Nsambya, and Kibuli hills. In addition, there will be several water points for the participants in different races.

According to Absa Bank Uganda's Marketing and Customer Experience Director Basuuta Nangonzi, each runner will pay sh35,000 and sh30,000 for a timed and untimed race, respectively.

Runners can register via phone with Airtel Money Pay Code – 4365164 or MTN MoMo Pay Code – 590860 while corporate companies will part with sh1.5m, sh3m, and/or sh5m for teams of ten, twenty, and thirty runners, respectively.

This year’s 21-km run will also attract elite athletes one of whom will walk away with a land title from one of the new partners of the charity run-Bakaima Real Estates.

Available data indicates that 53% of Ugandan girls aged 6–12 complete the required seven years of primary education, and merely 22.5% of the female Ugandan population enroll in secondary education. This can be attributed to several obstacles that girls in our community face, including poverty, cultural barriers, early marriages, unwanted pregnancy, and difficulty managing menstrual hygiene.

 The proceeds from the run will support the girl-child education initiatives, which is a major component of Absa Bank’s promise of being an active force for good.

The run is also supported by New Vision, UAP, Kampala Pharmaceuticals, Bakaima Real Estate Agents, Aquafina, Next Media, Kakira Sugar, Hostalite, Case Medical Services, Fenon Events, DHL, and the Uganda Red Cross.