Kagadi Leaders Turn to Sports to Drive Environmental Protection Campaign

What the report says

Kagadi District leaders and environmental advocates are using a community marathon to promote conservation in the western Uganda district, according to Nile Post. The event, called the Seyeya Courts Marathon, was framed around “running to green Kagadi” and aimed to draw attention to tree cutting, wetland degradation and shifting weather patterns that farmers say are affecting planting and harvest seasons.

The article says local officials and organizers believe sport offers a practical way to spread environmental messages because it attracts people from different groups. Kagadi Town Council town clerk John Isingoma said the goal was to warn residents about the effects of cutting trees. Kagadi Woman MP Margaret Nazziwa said the marathon should become an annual event and noted plans to target the planting of 10,000 trees. She also linked environmental protection to the district’s agriculture-based livelihoods.

Nile Post reported that the campaign comes as leaders describe growing pressure on land from population increase, migration, agriculture, charcoal burning and timber use. Those pressures, along with wetland loss, are said to be making farming less predictable in Kagadi, which has long been known for fertile soils and natural resources.

Bunyoro region NRM coordinator Michael Christopher Ayeranga suggested extending the effort to schools, while Seyeya Courts CEO Gerald Mugabi called for wider involvement from the private sector and activists. The campaign was presented as part awareness drive, part tree-planting push, and part call for healthier lifestyles.