"Exercise must be part of your daily routine" – IRA's Dr. Protazio Sande tells workers

Insurance professionals have been urged to take physical exercise seriously to reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases, which are increasingly affecting employees who spend long hours working in offices.

The call was made by the Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Insurance Regulatory Authority of Uganda (IRA), Dr. Protazio Sande, during the closing ceremony of the 11th Insurance Industry Sports Gala held on Saturday at Jeph International University grounds in Butabika, Kampala.

Sande said the annual sports event not only strengthens relationships among players in the insurance industry but also promotes healthier lifestyles through regular physical activity.

“Besides strengthening unity among us in the insurance sector, these games have given us an opportunity to exercise through different sporting activities, which is very important for our health,” he said.

He encouraged insurance workers and the general public to make exercise part of their daily routine.

“Many of us spend most of our time in offices and rarely find time to exercise. Regular physical activity that makes you sweat is beneficial to your health and helps reduce the risk of many non-communicable diseases,” Sande added.

The annual Insurance Gala organised by the Insurance Training College (ITC) Uganda brought together 52 insurance companies and industry partners.

ITC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Saul Sseremba expressed satisfaction with the increased number of participating companies and the high level of competition witnessed throughout the outing.

“We organise these games to bring members of the insurance industry together, strengthen teamwork and improve cohesion within the sector,” Sseremba said.

He noted that as organisers, they had feared participation would be affected by Ebola prevention measures but were pleased by the large turnout.

“We followed all the standard operating procedures issued by the Ministry of Health, and we are happy that the event was successfully held,” he added.

ICEA Lion successfully defended the overall trophy after they emerged champions again, collecting 615 points. Prudential finished second with 542 points, while Old Mutual came third with 485 points. AAR Insurance and Britam completed the top five with 292 and 285 points respectively.

In the football final, ICEA Lion defeated Britam 3-2 in a penalty shootout after the match ended goalless in normal time. Prudential won the tug-of-war title after beating the IRA, while Jubilee Insurance claimed the volleyball championship with victory over IRA in the final.

Overall, participants, both men and women, competed across a wide range of sporting disciplines, including football, athletics, netball, basketball, volleyball, swimming, and sack racing.