Absa Kampala Hills Run returns with bigger rewards

Runners have added incentive to prepare for the fourth Absa Kampala Hash Harriers 7 Hills Run (Absa KH3 – 7 Hills Run) on April 26, as event partner Bakaima has offered two plots of land for outstanding performance.

Absa will, in addition, sponsor an all-expenses-paid trip for two participants from the annual race supporting girls’ education in Uganda to take part in the Absa Run Your City Johannesburg 10km run in September.

At the event’s launch in Kampala, Absa Bank Managing Director David Wandera stated that the 21km run has become a movement focused on transforming lives and creating lasting change.

“This story is very important because when you think about the things that keep the girl children from completing their studies, they're not impossible things.  School fees, absence of sanitary materials, and high transport costs.  Things that if we come together, we can overcome,” Wandera noted.

Absa Bank MD David Wandera (center), addresses the press flanked by Helen Basuuta Nangonzi (left) and the Hash Master Alice Gitta Okecho during the launch of the fourth edition of the Absa KH3 Run at Absa bank headquarters. Photo by Michael Nsubuga

He said they are targeting raising sh900m this year, up from the sh400m raised last year, in order to create an even bigger impact from a targeted participation of 8000 runners. He said they had supported over 21,000 over the last couple of years and helped them to stay in school.  

“That is absolutely massive when I think about it. When we keep a girl in school, we're investing in the future of our communities and our country. The response we've seen over the past two years has been incredible,” Wandera, who was in the company of Helen Basuuta Nangonzi, the bank's Marketing and Customer Experience Director, and the Hash Master, Alice Gitta Okecho, said.

Okecho explained that the run’s consistency is intentional, as lasting change is achieved step by step. “This consistency demonstrates our commitment and is reinforced by partners who share our vision for long-term impact. KH3 has spent years running in and around Kampala, building community along the way. Through this partnership, we transform a simple run into a meaningful impact that helps keep the girl child in school. We thank you again for your support, partnership, and belief in the purpose of this run.”

The funds raised from the themed ‘Run so she can’ event will go directly to organisations making real differences in girls' lives, including Baylor College of Medicine's DREAMS program, Amref Health Africa, Windle International, World Vision, Nyaka AIDS Orphan Project, Katalemwa Cheshire Home, and Smart Girls Uganda.

These partnerships ensure that every shilling raised goes toward breaking down barriers that keep girls out of school. The event has already attracted strong support from corporate partners like Aquafina, which returns as the hydration partner; Mighty Rides; Bakaima Real Estate; NBS; and sixteen running clubs from across Uganda, who have already committed to participating, bringing together a community united by fitness and social impact. The run itself is a celebration of Kampala's heritage.

The early bird sponsors were represented by Grace Namutebi, Merdard Oweyesigire, Leon Mubiru, and Andrew Kabura. Covering 21 kilometers across the city's historic seven hills, Kibuli, Nakasero, Old Kampala, Namirembe, Rubaga, Lubiri, and Nsambya, participants experience the capital in a way few others do. It's challenging, scenic, and deeply meaningful. Runners will part with sh35,000, sh45,000 (with timing kit) and sh100,000 (VIP).