Olympic Day-Tooke Run rebranded as part of sh4.47b nutrition and sports push

A powerful coalition of religious, sports, and corporate leaders has launched a massive fundraising drive targeting sh4.47 billion to combat early childhood malnutrition and sponsor Ugandan athletes heading to international games in Dakar, Senegal.

The initiative was unveiled during the Olympic Day-Tooke Run breakfast meeting held at the Presidential Initiative on Banana Industrial Development (PIBID) and Banana Industrial Research Development Centre (BIRDC) offices in Njeru Municipality, Buikwe district on May 22nd.

Out of the targeted sh4.47 billion, sh2.5 billion will be directed toward establishing a sustainable national nutrition legacy, while sh1.97 billion will fund the upcoming Olympic Day-Tooke Run scheduled for June 20, 2026, at Bushenyi sports ground.

The Run, with 5km, 10km and 21km categories, under the theme “Move, Learn and Discover for Nutrition-Care” is expected to attract participants from across the country in a nationwide campaign promoting nutrition awareness, fitness and athlete support.

The Director General of PIBID-BIRDC and freshly designated Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC) Nutrition Ambassador, Rev. Prof. Florence Isabirye Muranga (L) chatting with Busoga Diocesan Bishop Rt. Rev. Prof. Grace Lubaale (2nd R) as Rev. Daniel Wandera (2nd L) the Bishop's Chaplain and Charles Irongo (R) the Busoga Diocesan Treasurer look on during the Olympic Day-Tooke Run breakfast meeting at the PIBID-BIRDC offices in Bukaya, Njeru Municipality in Buikwe district on May 22nd. Photo by Donald Kiirya.

Speaking at the event, the Bishop of Busoga Diocese, Rev. Prof. Grace Lubaale, announced that the diocese has earmarked land to pilot large-scale banana production in partnership with PIBID-BIRDC.

"We are waiting for your technical expertise so that we will become the leading diocese in growing bananas," Bishop Lubaale stated, emphasizing that the church must lead by example in transforming local economies.

The Bishop made a personal contribution of sh1 million toward the cause and urged political leaders to provide legislative backing to local innovations rather than relying solely on political rhetoric.

"Knowledge is in the university, not in parliament. Politicians need to work with the people with knowledge, give them political backing, and then the people will get rich," Bishop Lubaale said.

He challenged institutions to replicate the value-addition success of the dairy sector in crops like matooke (bananas) and cassava to unlock a sh500 billion national economy.

The Director General of PIBID-BIRDC and newly designated Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC) Nutrition Ambassador, Rev. Prof. Florence Isabirye Muranga, revealed that the project is a deliberate response to the alarming rates of stunting in the country.

According to national indicators, stunting among children under five stands between 25% and 29%, while anemia affects nearly half of Ugandan children and over 30% of women of childbearing age.

"Besides Karamoja, the Busoga region is one of those heavily affected by malnutrition, and therefore we hope to focus our attention toward it," Prof. Muranga stated.

To kickstart the campaign, PIBID-BIRDC has committed sh400 million toward the initiative. Prof. Muranga explained that through demand-driven research, the institution has successfully transformed fresh matooke into premium, export-ready "Tooke Flour" and instant porridge, which are 100% gluten-free and retain over 70% resistant starch to protect against lifestyle diseases.

She added that bananas contain natural serotonin and potassium, which act as natural stamina enhancers and stress stabilizers for athletes, offering a healthy alternative to illegal doping.

Representing the President of the Uganda Olympic Committee and Commonwealth Games Uganda Donald Rukare, UOC Assistant Secretary General Lydia Dhamuzungu who is also the Chef de Mission for Team Uganda at the 2026 Summer Youth Olympics, announced the official rebranding of the traditional Olympic Day celebration to the Olympic Day-Tooke Run.

Dhamuzungu noted that the three-year partnership signed on March 14, 2026, positions Tooke as the official nutritional partner for Team Uganda.

The run will serve as a direct fundraiser to support young athletes preparing for major international fixtures, notably: The Commonwealth Games in Glasgow (July–August 2026) and the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal (October–November 2026)

Joseph Collins Ssemanda, the Head of Marketing at UOC, rallied the corporate community to maintain momentum ahead of the June 20 race.

"Today's breakfast is more than a meal; it is a commitment to our young athletes as they prepare to represent Uganda. Nutrition is not just health—it is performance, potential, and national development," Ssemanda said.

Highlighting the economic necessity of the campaign, Stanbic Bank’s Executive Director, Samuel Fredrick Mwogeza who was represented by Israel Arinaitwe the Head of Personal Banking at Stanbic Bank, stated that the financial sector views nutrition funding as a critical economic imperative rather than charity.

"In banking, managing a default is much more expensive than securing a business before it folds. Why then should we treat our nation's most valuable asset, our human capital, any differently?" Mwogeza noted in his speech.

He reiterated Stanbic Bank's corporate agenda to focus on three key pillars aligned with Uganda’s strategic push toward a $500 billion economy by 2040: through driving agro-industrialization among farmers, supporting women who are the traditional custodians of household nutrition and fueling the physical and cognitive capacity of the next generation who are youth.

The organizers confirmed that President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is expected to be the Chief Runner at the main event in June, which aims to leverage local agricultural wealth to solve the dual challenges of malnutrition and sports underfunding. 

While at the Olympic Day-Tooke Run breakfast meeting, over 621 kits amounting to 21.2m were pledged to be bought and of the total pledges of 1030 kits during the Sheraton breakfast recently, 51% have so far cleared. `