Rotary Cancer Run raises sh5.62b as 100,000 kits sell out
According to the chairman of the Rotary Cancer Run 2026, Meddie Lutaaya, they had prepared 100,000 kits for participants, but all were sold out.
Participants attending he Rotary Cancer Run 2026. (Photos by Eddie Ssejjoba & Michael Nsubuga)
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At least sh5.62b has been raised from the Sunday Rotary Cancer Run, which attracted a mammoth crowd at the Kololo Ceremonial Grounds.
According to the organisers of this year's Rotary Cancer Run, they had a shortfall of sh6b to complete a cancer centre at St Francis Hospital, Nsambya, which they had anticipated raising through two runs, in 2026 and 2027.
However, Sunday's collection was a big surprise to the organisers, who said the money was raised through the sale of kits and contributions from various sponsors.
According to the chairman of the Rotary Cancer Run 2026, Meddie Lutaaya, they had prepared 100,000 kits for participants, but all were sold out.
The money is needed to complete the construction and equipping of a specialised cancer treatment centre at Nsambya to provide advanced radiotherapy services closer to people. It will include two linear accelerators for radiotherapy.
Lutaaya said they were proud to have sounded the drums and that people had heard the echoes and turned up in big numbers.
“You have come, you have stood tall and made a statement; moving together we shall defeat cancer from the face of this country,” he said.
Dr Tusu Tusubira, a trustee of the Rotary Foundation and a member of the Rotary Club of Kampala North, was the chief runner. He also flagged off the 5km group, while the 10km race was waved off by Geoffrey Byekwaso, the managing director of Centenary Bank, and the 21km race was seen off by Samuel Hooper, the head of marketing at Harris International, the producers of Krystal Water.
Speaking at the event, past district governor Stephen Mwanje said that when they set out with their plan, they targeted completing the cancer ward in five years, but because of contributions from Rotarians and corporate bodies, it was completed in three years.
He said they went ahead and embarked on another ambitious target of completing a radiotherapy structure, which was planned to be completed by 2027 and opened the following year, 2028.
“I am, however, happy to inform you that we are on track. We had a gap of sh6b and planned to raise it in two cancer runs, this one and next year, but we have so far raised sh5.62b, which is ahead of schedule,” he said and commended all contributors for having confidence in the team that is managing the fund.
Health minister Dr Chris Baryomunsi, who participated in the Sunday run, pledged to partner with Rotary to further promote the campaign to fight cancer in Uganda. He thanked those who responded to the call and turned up in big numbers to participate in
the run against cancer.
The minister commended the Rotary family for its initiative to fight cancer and revealed that Uganda has an epidemic of cancer. He said cancer cases are on the rise in the country for various reasons.
“As a ministry of health, we prioritise the fight against cancer and we are happy we have partners like Rotary who are joining the fight,” he noted.
He explained that any person can get cancer, including children and adults.
He called upon Ugandans to continue with the fight so that the country can succeed in eliminating it, saying it is preventable and manageable, especially if one goes for a check-up early and it is detected at an early stage.
He said cancer is in four stages, but if it is detected at the first stage, something can be done either through surgery, radiotherapy, the use of drugs or other means.
“My message is that let us all go to medical facilities for medical checkup, but most patients go to hospitals when the cancer is at stage 3 or 4 and the health workers cannot do much apart from providing palliative care,” he said, adding that he would arrange for a meeting between his ministry and Rotary to discuss how they can strengthen their partnership to fight cancer further.
Among the notable participants were Gen. Katumba Wamala, the public service minister, and deputy governor of the Bank of Uganda Prof. Augustus Nuwagaba, among others.
Dan Mushabe, the managing director of Meru Petroleum, used the event to celebrate 10 years of consecutive participation in the Rotary Run with his son Ethan Mushabe, who was nine years old when they started participating in 2016.
Bernard Tabaire, the president of Rotary Club of Kisugu Victoria View, said the death of King Oyo, linked to cancer, was a reminder that cancer is a serious public health issue that requires collective attention.
He said since the money raised during last year's Cancer Run surpassed this year's target, Rotarians were committed to contributing more to ensure that the cancer centre at Nsambya Hospital operates smoothly and that patients receive timely services.
“As Rotarians, we give back to the community, work for the good of the society, invest resources to tackle big problems such as polio, malaria and cancer,” said Tabaire.