Golfers raise sh10m towards cancer fight

Over sh10m was raised as golfers hit the course for charity during the breast cancer fundraising golf tournament at Kitante on Friday.

The Uganda Women’s Cancer Support Organisation (UWCASO) and Uganda Golf Club (UGC) organized one-day tournament attracted 19 corporate teams as well as individuals who paid sh500,000 and sh20,000 each respectively towards the cause.

The Ferdsult Engineering team comprising of Uganda Ladies Open champion Flavia Namakula, Sam Mubiru, Francis Ngabo and Gideon Kagyenzi returned a combined score of 102 stable ford points to win the annual event.

Mubiru returned 36 points, Kagyenzi (34pts) with Namakula and Kagyenzi carding 32 points each to win themselves bouquets in the tournament meant to raise funds for cancer awareness and counselling in major hospitals and cancer units across the country. Last year golfers raised sh24m from a similar initiative.

The Dstv-2 team comprising of Abby Melvin (34pts), Joseph Mawejje (33pts), Sally Hunt (29pts) and Margaret Zaramba (24pts) were runners-up with a total score of 97points.

The NUSAF ladies team of Jenina Nasimolo (34pts), Esther Okullo, Sheilla Kesiime and Connie Mukuru (19pts) finished third. Individual accolades went to Karanja Karubiu (37pts) and Samalie Naikomba (41pts).

UGC vice-captain Dr. Lim Lim thanked the different corporates for partnering with the club to host a successful event and urged them to ensure they prevent or forms of cancer and or detect it quickly and ensure they get early treatment.

UWUCASO Chairperson Rebecca Mayengo said breast cancer was like any other ailment if it is detected and treated early, and thanked the golfers for their generosity.

She said the money that is collected is used for outreach advocacy programs and general education, producing brochures and flyers.  She said last year over 800 people were screened for different cancers in Mityana and Rakai in conjuction with the Uganda Cancer Institute.