Ruguga appeals for help

Oct 17, 2001

NATIONAL marathon record holder Vincent Ruguga (above) is sick and appealing for assistance to pay medical bills.

By James Bakama NATIONAL marathon record holder Vincent Ruguga (above) is sick and appealing for assistance to pay medical bills. Ruguga, who has been sickly since last year, said he is struggling to pay sh300,000 monthly medical bills. “I am only still alive because my brother has been meeting the costs, but he is getting strained by the expense.” The visibly weak Ruguga, who now walks with difficulty, cuts a sharply contrasting figure to the athlete who rewrote Uganda’s record at the 1990 Boston marathon. Ruguga clocked two hours 17.46 minutes in the Boston race, which ranks amongst the most prestigious 42Km races on the international athletics calendar. His problems started in 1996 when he was retrenched from Bank of Uganda. His plight was last year heightened with the death of his wife. “My child would also be out of school if it wasn’t for my brother Nalis Bigingo.” Bigingo is national long distances coach of UAAF. ends

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