When corporates swapped suits for running shoes to save mothers

What the report says

Uganda’s business community joined hundreds of runners on Sunday, October 4, at the second Independence Marathon, an event framed around the theme “Save a Mother.” According to The Observer, the race brought together corporate leaders, elite athletes, recreational runners, families and other members of the public in Kampala for a mix of sport and fundraising.

The marathon included 42-kilometre, 21-kilometre, 10-kilometre and 5-kilometre events, with the first Independence Marathon route to use the Kampala Northern Bypass. The 42km course ran from Namboole to Busega. The report said the leading finishers included Brian Ategeka, Solomon Tumwesigye and Evas Nassasira in the 42km race, while Brian Okumu, Rolline Atumanye and Innocent Iraguha led the 21km category. Gabriel Nyangabyeki, Connel Cheptoek and Joel Olinga topped the 10km race.

Beyond the competition, the event was organized to raise money for a modern cold storage facility at the Mengo Rotary Blood Bank. Organizers said the upgrade is intended to improve the processing, preservation and storage of blood for mothers facing childbirth complications, as well as accident victims and other patients needing transfusions. Diana Atwine, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health, flagged off the race and urged people to support the cause, while Stanbic Bank Uganda and other corporate sponsors backed the campaign.

The article presents the marathon as both a fitness event and a public health fundraiser, highlighting maternal care and blood supply capacity as the central issue. It also reflects a broader pattern seen in Uganda and elsewhere, where sporting events are used to mobilize private-sector support for health projects.