🔴 Day Two of Rotary International president's visit to Uganda

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 ROTARY PRESIDENT VISITS UGANDA 

Edited and presented by Joseph Kizza
Updates by Simon Peter Tumwine & Nelson Kiva
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 6:00 PM 

Coming up next...

After a busy day of engagements, Rotary International president Francesco Arezzo is this evening scheduled to have a private meeting with the Italian Ambassador to Uganda, Mauro Massoni, and Ugandan Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja at Speke Resort Hotel Munyonyo.

Thereafter, the final act of his day will be attending a Membership Gala Dinner Charter organised by the Rotary Club of Mapeera and Rotary Club of LifeCare.
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 5:46 PM 

Centre 'really very necessary'

✍️🏾 Reporting by Nelson Kiva:

The JCRC and Rotary have launched a drive for Uganda's first Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) facility. The initiative coordinated by the Rotary Club of Kampala Springs and JCRC seeks to bring lifesaving care closer to home for thousands of Ugandans affected by sickle cell disease, blood cancers, and other life-threatening conditions.

For decades, families requiring bone marrow transplantation have had no choice but to seek treatment abroad, often at a cost of between sh150m to sh250m ($42,000-$60,000), excluding travel and accommodation. Many patients simply could not afford this, resulting in preventable deaths. 

The launch of the drive was among others graced by visiting Rotary International President, Francesco Arezzo on Saturday.

"It is something really very necessary and I am so happy to see that the community is contributing to the realisation of this centre because it is so important for the community, for the country and  the countries. Of course, Rotary is part of the community," he said, adding that Rotary is ready to support the project through its global grant.

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 5:34 PM 

'I am very sure you will have money'

Science minister Dr Monica Musenero has assured the JCRC that the Government will give the facility money for its lifesaving initiatives in the next budget.

"I can say for sure we [government] are going to give money in the next financial year...it will be substantial. I can't say the figure but I am very sure you are going to have money in the next financial year," she says.

"I stand here as a sickle cell ambassador. So I represent sickle cell interests wherever I go to make sure that we mobilise resources."

Musonero donated $1,000 (sh3.6m) towards the Bone Marrow Transplant Centre initiative.

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 5:25 PM 

'All of us are potential candidates'

Health minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng has emphasised the importance of the Bone Marrow Transplant Centre at the Joint Clinical Research Centre in Lubowa.

"We all need this unit because all of us are potential candidates. You never know when you will be admitted here. So just list yourself as a potential candidate and give [donate to the cause]. And it is not only the banks and insurance companies who are supposed to give, all of us are supposed to give."

The minister has donated $1,000 (sh3.6m) towards the initiative.

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 5:17 PM 

Official launch of....

... the initiative to establish Uganda's first Bone Marrow Transplant Centre.

National Insurance Corporation (NIC) donates sh20m towards the bone marrow transplant project.

Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) donates $10,000 (sh35m) towards the same project.

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 4:52 PM 

🌿 RI leader plants tree at JCRC

Rotary International president Francesco Arezzo planted a mango tree upon arrival at JCRC.  The organisation that he leads has prioritized environmental protection as a core area of focus, engaging its global network in sustainable, local, and impactful projects. 

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 4:40 PM 

📸 Arezzo visits JCRC in Lubowa

Rotary International president is continuing with his engagements today, the second and final day of his visit to Uganda. From Lweza, he has come straight to the Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC) at Lubowa for a visit to the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit.

Accompanied by his wife, Anna Maria, the Rotary International leader is welcomed to the facility by a team of officials, including JCRC executive director Cissy Kityo and ministers Dr Jane Ruth Aceng (health) and Dr Monica Musenero (science).

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 3:53 PM 

'We have to plan everything together'

✍️🏾 Reporting by Nelson Kiva:

Hundreds of Rotaractors cheered on as Rotary International president, Francesco Arezzo, accompanied by his wife, Ann Maria, made his way into Lweza Training Conference Centre on Saturday afternoon.

Arezzo was briefed by Rotaract leaders from districts 9214 and 19213 on the increasing role of Rotaractors in supporting humanitarian activities.

Alebar Kanyonza, the Rotaractors' leader in District 9214, disclosed that the young people have since contributed over $30,000 (sh108m) to the Rotary Foundation. She was accompanied by her D9213 counterpart, Nahabwe Abesage.

"We have been very intentional in telling the Rotary story to get many people joining us," she said, adding that currently there are a total of 227 Rotaract clubs in Uganda with a membership of 5,159.

RI president Arezzo, the chief guest, used the occasion to call on Rotarians to stick together in the technologically-driven fast-changing world.

He equated the relationship between Rotary and Rotaractors to a love story.

"We need to stay together. We have to plan everything together. The Rotaractors have to be always present in the Rotary clubs and in their committees. Every project that we do in Rotary club has to be planned with them," said the Italian.
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 2:45 PM 

RI president meets Rotaractors in Lweza

Next stop for Rotary International president Francesco Arezzo is Lweza — for a meeting with Rotaractors. He is the chief guest at the engagement also attended by youths under the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA).

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 2:03 PM 

🌿 Protecting the environment

Rotary International has prioritized environmental protection as a core area of focus, engaging its global network in sustainable, local, and impactful projects. 

"We are committed to supporting activities that strengthen the conservation and protection of natural resources and advance ecological sustainability. We empower communities to embrace local solutions, create innovative service projects, and access grants and other resources to foster harmony between people and nature," says the organization on its website.

The organisation's current president, Francesco Arezzo, has just planted a tree during the Mega Medical Camp at NMS.

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 1:45 PM 

'Partnerships reinforce systems'

✍️🏾 Reporting by Nelson Kiva:

Rotary International President Francesco Arezzo has rallied communities to own Rotary projects, making his remarks while officiating at the launch of a health camp convened by the Rotary Club of Medical Stars at the National Medical Stores (NMS) in Kajjansi in Wakiso district on Saturday.

Dr Jotham Musinguzi, the board chairperson of NMS, said systems are strongest when partnerships reinforce them.

"What we are witnessing here today — the government, private sector and service leadership working together to bring care closer to communities — is the sort of collaboration that gives us confidence in the future of our health system."

Musinguzi disclosed that Uganda is building a more resilient and more responsive supply chain. "We are strengthening accountability, improving distribution and ensuring continuity of care, because access to treatment should never be a privilege for a few, it must be a promise."

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 1:27 PM 

The two high-profile Rotary visitors are delighted to receive gifts in the form of their portraits from the Rotarians of the National Medical Stores.

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 1:16 PM 

📸 Large turnout at Mega Health Camp

The Mega Health Camp organized by the Rotary Club of Medical Stars has drawn a huge number of people, who have shown up for various health-related reasons. In the same spirit, a sizeable team of medical personnel are present to attend to them.

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 1:00 PM 

Arrezo attends Mega Health Camp

On a fast-paced day of activities on his second and final day, Rotary International president Francesco Arezzo is received at the National Medical Stores (NMS) headquarters where a Mega Health Camp, a flagship project organized by the Rotary Club of Medical Stars, is taking place.

While there, Arezzo immunized a baby.

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 12:53 PM 

'It can arrive silently': Rotary leader warns against polio

✍️🏾 Reporting by Nelson Kiva:

The global leader of Rotary, Francesco Arezzo, has warned parents against complacency, stressing that polio remains endemic in some parts of the world.

"Africa has been polio-free for four or five years, but it is still endemic in other two countries: Afghanistan and Pakistan. And if we don't finish it there, the virus is always present. It can arrive when you don't expect it, because it can fly by  plane and can arrive in the country, silently. So we have to maintain a high level of immunisation to be safe until we have finished the job," he said.

He made the remarks after commissioning the Rotary Immunisation Centre Jjanyi in Kajjansi Town Council in Wakiso district. The centre is being established with joint efforts of the Rotary Clubs of Blue Hearts (dfcu), Kajjansi and Kampala South

Arezzo, accompanied by his wife Ann Maria, said that globally, Rotary has supported the immunization of three billion children.

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 12:30 PM 

[Info source: Rotary International]

Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a paralyzing and potentially deadly infectious disease that most commonly affects children under the age of five. The virus spreads from person to person, typically through contaminated water. It can then attack the nervous system.

Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 45 years, and says their goal of ridding the world of this disease "is closer than ever".

Rotary's first polio project was to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979. Inspired by that successful vaccination campaign, Rotary went on to become a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988, which has reduced polio cases around the world by 99.9 percent.

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 11:50 AM 

📸 Arezzo takes part in polio immunization

After Nakasero, the Rotary International president proceeded to Kajjansi in Wakiso district for a polio immunization exercise at Jjanyi Health Centre, organised by the Rotary Club of Blue Hearts (dfcu), Rotary Club of Kajjansi and Rotary Club of Kampala South.

Francesco Arezzo and his wife, together with other Rotarians, received a joyous welcome, before going to immunize babies at the health facility.

Take a look:

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 11:20 AM 

📸 Touring Nakasero Blood Bank

The visiting Rotary International president, Francesco Arezzo, accompanied by his wife, is taken on a guided tour of the Nakasero Blood Bank. Also present are Rotary members.

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 11:04 AM 

Strides in malaria fight — PDG Mugisha

✍️🏾 Reporting by Nelson Kiva:

Past district governor and coordinator of anti-malaria efforts in Rotary, Ken Mugisha (pictured immediately below), said they have made significant strides in combating malaria in Uganda, particularly in the districts of Soroti and Katakwi. 

He said with a $1.2m global grant, they trained 1,770 village health workers, provided testing kits and medicine, and distributed bicycles to facilitate home visits.

On his part, RI president Arezzo expressed delight for the collaboration between Rotary and the Ugandan government to address key health bottlenecks. "I am seeing that you are working all together and this is so important that the local administration at the highest level are involved with Rotary projects."

He highlighted the need to have enough blood for the country. "It is so important to have the possibility to have the blood when you need it and this is a difficult job to achieve."

PDG Mugisha and Dr Kyeyune present gifts RI President Arezzo and his wife.

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 10:45 AM 

'We need partners to meet blood demand'

In her remarks, UBTS executive director Dr Dorothy Kyeyune Byabazaire (pictured below) says that each year, UBTS collects around 400,000 units of blood but that 500,000 units of blood are required annually to meet blood demand in Uganda.

She says partnerships are very important to meet the growing demand amid a rising Ugandan population.

❝The blood is collected from volunteer, nonremunerated blood donors. It is very difficult to recruit, to retain and to convince someone to donate blood. But the partnership with Rotary has helped us to achieve this.

We have regional blood banks across the country, which are supported by distribution and collection centres.

We have had a persistent shortfall between demand and available supply because we are not collecting enough to meet the demand. That is why we have been looking for partners, and that is how Rotary International and Rotary Uganda came in though the Malaria for Uganda programme to help us achieve this objective.

We need to collect about 500,000 units of blood but currently we are collecting about 400,000 units of blood. We still have that gap, which needs to be filled.

We also have problems with the growing population. SO it is very difficult to catch up with this growing population and the increased maternal health needs, childhood anaemia due to malaria. About 60% of our blood goes to children who have had malaria and they become severely anaemic. SO Malaria for Uganda came in time to help us get this blood to save these children.

We have sickle cell disease, cancer and rising trauma cases, which continue to drive the demand [for blood] higher. So we need partners.

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 10:20 AM 

RI president arrives at Nakasero

Rotary International president Francesco Arezzo has arrived at the Nakasero Blood Bank in Kampala, accompanied by his wife, Anna Maria Criscione.

They are warmly welcomed by Christine Kawooya, the rotary district 9214 governor, Dr Dorothy Kyeyune Byabazaire, the executive director of the Uganda Blood Transfusion Service (UBTS), and other officials.

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 10:15 AM 

Previous RI presidents visits to Uganda

Francesco Arezzo has joined a list of several Rotary International presidents to have visited Uganda to witness humanitarian projects and support local Rotary growth.

His predecessors that have been here before are: 

• Stephanie Urchick (2024–25): Visited for one week in January 2025 as part of her "African Magic Tour," during which she attended the Peace Symposium at Makerere University and launched the 2025 Rotary Cancer Run.

• Jennifer Jones (2022–23): Visited in September 2022 during her "Imagine Impact Tour" to launch the Rotary Peace Center at Makerere University and flag off the 2022 Rotary Cancer Run.

• Shekhar Mehta (2021–22): Visited in September 2021, where he met with Makerere University management and toured the Rotary Peace Centre.

• John Germ (2016–17): Visited in February 2017 and was hosted by the Rotary Club of Kampala South. During his visit, he inspected the Mukono hospital project, and praised Ugandan Rotarians for their contributions to polio eradication and community development.

• William Boyd (2006–07): Visited in August 2006 to assess humanitarian needs and commend local Rotarians for their service.

NOTE: While Sam Owori of Uganda (pictured below) was elected to serve as the 2018–19 Rotary International president, he unexpectedly passed away in July 2017 before he could take office. He is often honoured during presidential visits to the country.

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 10:10 AM 

RI president Arezzo at a glance

Francesco Arezzo is an orthodontist in private practice and owns an agricultural enterprise that produces extra virgin olive oil in Sicily, Italy.

A member of the Rotary Club of Ragusa, Italy, he was selected by the Board of Directors to become Rotary International’s president for 2025-26 from July last year following the unexpected resignation of RI President Elect Mário César Martins de Camargo on June 8,2025.

Arezzo is a graduate of the University of Padua and a member of the Italian, European, and American orthodontics associations, as well as the Italian and European lingual orthodontics associations. He is a dentistry graduate of the University of Cagliari, where he also received a master’s in lingual orthodontics.

He has served as vice-president of the National Association of Italian Dentists for the province of Ragusa and was the founder and head for seven years of the Ragusa delegation to the National Trust for Italy.

Arezzo is also the owner of an agricultural enterprise and producer of extra virgin olive oil in the Monti Iblei region of Sicily. He has been vice-president of the administrative council of the consortium controlling and regulating quality production of oil in that region. He owns two boutique hotel settlements there. He enjoys modern art and opera.

A Rotary member for 36 years, Arezzo has served as vice-chair of the Joint Strategic Planning Committee and as RI director, chair of the 2023 Melbourne Convention Committee, learning facilitator, and district conference presidential representative, among other roles.

Arezzo's partner, Anna Maria Criscione, is an entrepreneur in the tourism field. The couple are Benefactors and Major Donors to The Rotary Foundation.
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 10:05 AM 

What does Rotary do?

Rotary is a global, non-religious, and non-political service organization of approximately 1.4 million professional and community leaders from across  the world. 

Members, known as Rotarians, join local clubs to promote humanitarian service, high ethical standards, and world peace. Their primary motto is "Service Above Self.” Rotary International's world headquarters is in Evanston, Illinois, USA.

The following are the organisation's areas of focus:

• Promoting peace
• Fighting disease such as Polio and Malaria
• Providing clean water
• Saving mothers and children
• Supporting education
• Growing local economies
• Protecting the environment
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 10:00 AM 

📝 Day Two programme

▪️On Saturday, Arezzo will hit the ground running with a visit to the Nakasero Blood Bank in Kampala.

▪️He will then proceed to Kajjansi for a polio immunization exercise at Jjanyi Health Centre by Rotary Club of Blue Hearts (dfcu), Rotary Club of Kajjansi and Rotary Club of Kampala South.

▪️Also in Kajjansi, he will attend a Mega Health Camp by the Rotary Club of Medical Stars.

▪️After a private lunch at the National Medical Stores (NMS) headquarters, Arezzo will proceed to Lweza to meet Rotaractors.

▪️He will then move on to Lubowa for a visit to the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at the Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC).

▪️In the evening, he have a private meeting with the Italian Ambassador to Uganda, Mauro Massoni, and Ugandan Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja at Speke Resort Hotel Munyonyo.

▪️The final act of Arezzo's visit will be attending a Membership Gala Dinner Charter organised by the Rotary Club of Mapeera and Rotary Club of LifeCare.
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 9:50 AM 

Rotary president visit enters second day

It's a dull Saturday (weatherwise) in Kampala. Hello and welcome to New Vision's live text coverage of the second and final day of Rotary International president Francesco Arezzo's visit to Uganda.

The Italian had a busy day of engagements on Friday — just hours after jetting into the country in the company of his wife, Anna Maria Criscione.

Arezzo started off with a visit to Kawempe Neonatal Hospital in Uganda's capital Kampala, where he was received by health officials led by health minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng and Ugandan Rotary leaders. In his remarks, he emphasized the need for stakeholders to unite for a common good, saying, the Oxygen for Life project at the facility exemplifies such a spirit of unity. He also hailed the frontline medics as "our heroes", saying "there is no project without you".

After the formality of speeches, the Rotary leader toured the facility.

After Kawempe, Arezzo proceeded to Makerere University for his second engagement of the day. There, he was received by Vice-Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe.

After touring the Rotary Peace Centre at the university's main campus, the Rotary International president rallied everyone to work for world peace. He said Rotary International is a peace machine, and the peace centre is "our most important realisation in this field".

Established in 2021, the Makerere University Rotary Peace Centre in Kampala is the first and currently only Rotary Peace Centre on the African continent,.

It offers a one-year postgraduate diploma and professional development certificate in peacebuilding, conflict transformation, and development, specifically targeting African peace practitioners.

Later in the evening, the Rotary International president appeared for a press conference at Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala, flanked by his wife, who had delightfully changed into a gomesi, a traditional attire for women in central and eastern Uganda.

Arezzo highlighted Uganda's impressive 15% membership growth rate and urged leveraging partnerships to tackle community challenges. "Alone you cannot do a relevant project... You need partners. You need to be a team."

Here is how Day One unfolded.