The 9th Edition of the Nile Cancer Run 2026 held Saturday 24th October,2026 in Jinja City will be remembered not just for kilometers covered, but for a powerful, heartfelt story of humility, punctuality and a soul on fire that unfolded before a single speech was made.
Unlike most Guests of Honour in Uganda who usually arrive late and offer a litany of apologies while some do not even bother to say sorry for keeping you waiting, Owek. Hajji Noor Ahmed Osman, Second Deputy Prime Minister (Katukiro) and Head of Partnerships, Obwa Kyabazinga Bwa Busoga, and H.E. Signe Winding Albjerg, the Danish Ambassador to Uganda, were religiously on time and were already at the venue as early as 6:30 am.
This was more remarkable for the Danish Ambassador who drove from Kampala along the busy Jinja-Kampala highway on a Saturday morning when Visitation Days (VDs) in boarding schools have become the headline catchphrase and traffic jam is at its best from Bweyogerere, Mukono, Lugazi, Njeru to Jinja Bridge, yet she was at the venue quite earlier than many thought, accompanied by her husband, with no siren, no convoy, no visible security comprising of CT police or VVIP police and at times the military.
On her part, the Ambassador did something that left an undeniable mark in the hearts and minds of Jinja City and Busoga residents who are used to finding difficulties moving near high-profile personalities except during campaigns when they can even shake hands and dance with them.
She simply walked into the parking lot that had been gazetted as the warm-up point as early as 6:30am, mingled and chatted freely with fans, mothers, boda riders, pupils and children some below 10 years, laughing, taking selfies, helping adjust a child’s vest, and many only discovered later that kumbe she was a diplomat when she was finally ushered to the podium.
Hundreds of enthusiastic Ugandans including foreign nationals, plus children some below 10, had already assembled as early as 6:00 am for the event organized by Rays of Hope Hospice Jinja (RHHJ) in partnership with Health First Gym Center commonly known as Hared Fitness. The parking lot was already a sea of white and purple vests.
Thankfully, the weather was one of the best Jinja has had in recent weeks. Clouds had gathered up in the sky since early morning, thick, grey and heavily pregnant with rain, but refused to rain and instead created a cool, calm and perfect environment for running, walking and riding, a huge relief from the usual scorching October sun.
As expected of Ugandans who neighboring Kenyans say like burudani or kufurahia, Kiswahili for partying or fun, the warm-up was full of fun as men and women, girls and boys irrespective of age were seen wiggling and twisting and dancing and shouting while many were taking selfies, photos and videos posting them on various platforms.
Ugandans are widely described as party animals who like dancing, drinking and enjoying, and even when the national team Uganda Cranes is playing you can see how crazy Ugandans can be.
Ugandans who usually joke (we don’t want stress) make fun or create comedy skits in anything, when a clergy fights in a church it becomes fun, when a pastor complains why followers drop only coins as offertory, they make fun and turn it into TikTok skits.
So was the Nile Cancer Run 2026.
Then the flag-off: walkers of 5km, runners of 10km and riders of 15km flagged off at different short intervals to avoid clashes by Hajji Osman, the Ambassador and Jinja District Kadhi Sheikh Ismail Adi Basoga. The Ambassador did not just flag off, she first participated in the 5km walk alongside several others led by the Brass band, walking with children, elderly grandmothers, pregnant mothers, pupils and market vendors, waving at residents who had lined the route from Main Street to the Nile, cheering the children who ran ahead of her.
The Jinja District Kadhi Sheikh Ismail Adi Basoga also flagged the different segments and walked the 5km with the Brass band, in solidarity with patients.
Veteran politician and NRM diehard Hon. Daudi Migereko, a rare face in runs, also caused excitement among fans who have for decades seen him only on political podiums but was in a pair of short khaki with powerful jogging and running canvas with the Nile Cancer Run vest, walking and jogging with youth.
Then, as if it was a heavenly blessing, as soon as the runners, walkers and riders returned to the parking lot and the two main guests climbed the podium to deliver their speeches, the clouds that had refused to rain since morning finally opened and it started drizzling peacefully, not a heavy storm but a soft, cool drizzle that settled dust and cooled sweaty bodies. Participants did not run for shelter.
It was in that blessed drizzle that the two leaders delivered messages that can be appreciated globally, and both took time to deeply appreciate partners from the corporate world, to organizations and individuals who put in their money, whether big or small, in cash or in kind, to make the day a success.
Osman: Kyabazinga’s Blessings, Cancer Reality and A Three-Point Call.
Hajji Osman conveyed warm greetings and blessings from the Kyabazinga who has consistently and persistently been at the forefront on health-related issues that affect his subjects.
He expounded that the Kyabazinga’s vision for Busoga rests on health as the first pillar, because without health there is no education, without health there is no agriculture, without health there is no wealth.
Owek Osman reminded participants that Busoga still battles preventable diseases, maternal deaths, teenage pregnancies and rising non-communicable diseases like diabetes, hypertension and cancer, and that most of his subjects are poor and cannot afford private hospitals in Kampala or abroad, so they depend on Jinja Regional Referral Hospital, health centre IVs and community facilities like Rays of Hope Hospice Jinja.
On cancer, Osman was blunt and moved many to silence. He said cancer is a silent, cruel and expensive killer that does not discriminate between rich or poor, young or old, Musoga or foreigner. He said its biggest weapons are not tumours but silence, ignorance, stigma and fear, because many still think cancer is witchcraft, many fear to test, many hide until it is too late, and many die in pain at home without morphine or counselling.
He said the second weapon is cost, because cancer impoverishes families who sell land, cattle, houses and property to pay for chemotherapy, transport to Mulago or Hospice Africa Uganda, and in the end the patient dies and the family remains in debt and broken.
But he brought good news that brought hope to the drizzle-soaked crowd: cancer is not a death sentence if detected early. Cervical cancer can be prevented by vaccine and screening, breast cancer can be treated if found early, prostate cancer can be managed if men stop hiding and test. Therefore, he made three passionate appeals that form the core of the Kingdom’s health message.
First, go for screening and take someone with you this week. Take your wife for cervical and breast screening, take your husband for prostate screening, take your children for check-ups, take your neighbor who is shy. Screening saves life and saves money.
Second, live healthy by eating local healthy foods like millet, sweet potatoes, greens and fruits, exercising regularly at places like Hared Fitness, avoiding excessive alcohol, tobacco and reckless lifestyles that invite cancer. He said Busoga has the best foods in Uganda but we have abandoned them for processed foods and sodas.
Third, continue to support the cancer cause because the money contributed will buy medicine, oral morphine, fuel for home visits and support screening camps in rural Jinja, Kamuli, Buyende, Iganga and Mayuge or Namayingo and Kaliro where cancer is still mistaken for witchcraft and where many women have never had a cervical screening in their lives.
He then appreciated all partners from the corporate world, from organizations and individuals who put in their money, from banks, factories, schools, boda associations, to market vendors and children who paid 10,000 shillings, saying every shilling counts and is a blessing to a patient who has lost hope, and that the Kingdom recognizes and blesses such hands.
“You have run for a reason, you have walked for a purpose, you have ridden for life. For a Healthy Busoga, we have run, we shall screen, and we shall save lives. Obusoga Okwisania Na Maani(Unity Is Strength),” he said.
The Ambassador’s Soul On Fire And Passionate Global Appeal.
The Ambassador’s address lasted only about three minutes and was greeted with applause because participants are used to hearing long speeches of more than an hour even when audience is tired, and were heard saying one thing they like about these bazzungu is they do not waste people’s time, every word they make is a powerful point.
As a good public speaker who does quick audience analysis, she first looked up at the drizzle, smiled and humorously said she is a daughter of a farmer back in Denmark who knows the value of rain and so she always brings rains whenever she goes, attracting a bout of laughter from sweat-drizzled participants.
Like Osman, she also deeply appreciated every fan who walked, ran and rode and every partner from the corporate world, organizations and individuals who put in their money, whether big or small, cash or in kind, saying in Denmark they believe no contribution is too small when it comes from the heart, and that what she saw in Jinja is partnership in action, not on paper.
She said apart from fun and enjoyment they got as they participated in one accord as a family of humanity concerned with affairs and welfare of fellow human beings, they had sent a clear message as far as awareness is concerned, a message louder than any poster.
The envoy then quickly brought the Danish word that captured Jinja and built her passionate global appeal on it.
“When I arrived here at 6:30am and walked 5km with you this morning, I saw something that in my home country Denmark we have a very special word for.
The word is ILDSJAEL. Ild means fire. Sjael means soul. A soul on fire. A person who burns with passion for others, who works not for money, not for fame, but because their heart tells them to serve. Today I have seen hundreds of Ildsjaels here under this blessed drizzle. You are all Ildsjaels.”
“My passionate appeal to you, to Uganda and to the world listening today, is that you build on this soul-on-fire mentality you exhibited during this Nile Cancer Run 2026.
Use it in the general fight against poor health and cancer in particular, because cancer is not just a medical chart. It devastates families who lose a mother, it devastates communities who lose a teacher, a farmer, a nurse, a security personnel and eventually it devastates nations who lose productive people. If we keep this fire burning, if we screen early, if we talk openly in homes, mosques, churches and schools, if we live healthy, we can beat it. Keep the fire. Keep the soul. Denmark will continue to stand with you.”
Only one person in the crowd, Dr. Margrethe Junicker, a volunteer medical doctor attached to RHHJ and the main fundraiser, understood the word best when mentioned, but as is our TEU modus operandi as a revolutionary digital news platform, this reporter delved into the matter and put the word and the farmer remark into context for readers to appreciate why it matters for Busoga and for the world.
REPORTER’S CONTEXT.
In Danish culture, Ildsjael is one of the most powerful compliments because it has no direct English translation. It is reserved for rare people driven by inner fire and moral calling to serve without expecting payment or fame, who see a problem and act even alone.
That is exactly what RHHJ did, starting with almost nothing when cancer patients were dying in pain at home with no morphine, and today becoming a beacon for Busoga.
That is what the 5km walkers including grandmothers and children below 10, the 10km runners and the 15km riders did, sacrificing Saturday morning, energy and money for a patient they may never meet.
That fire is the core message that can be appreciated globally, from Jinja to Copenhagen, from a parking lot to a palace: that humanity still has souls on fire.
The whole official function ended a few minutes to 10 am, another record for public functions in Jinja that normally drag until late afternoon, and this early ending was highly appreciated.
However, although official speeches and formalities ended a few minutes to 10am, some participants continued with fun, dancing, selfies, second rounds of aerobics with Hared Fitness instructors and DJs playing as children wiggled in cool post-drizzle breeze.
The Voice Behind the Run.
It would be incomplete to talk about the event without mentioning one name: Madam Sylvia Nakami, the Executive Director, Rays of Hope Hospice Jinja.
Her voice was tired, but her message was firm because for weeks she has had sleepless nights, always on the roads, in streets, in offices and on phone, ensuring everything went on well. On Saturday, when she finally held the microphone, she spoke not as an organizer, but as a witness to what late cancer does to families.
She said this year’s run has attracted stronger support than ever before from local businesses, organisations and companies – a powerful demonstration of the community’s commitment to tackling cancer together.
From businesses and banks to schools, health facilities and radio stations, supporters across Jinja and beyond stepped forward to make the run possible. Their contributions, participation and publicity are helping bring cancer into public conversation and encouraging people to seek help earlier.
RHHJ warmly thanks its sponsors: Murchison River Lodge, Bank of Uganda, Arken Farm, Nzuri Timber, Nilus Group Limited, Sanlam, Yalelo Uganda, Cavendish University, St. Francis Health Care Services Njeru, Grace Laboratories, Asante International School, Mother Kevin Secondary School, His Heart for Africa, Jinja City Council, JIPRA, Health First Gym & Fitness Centre, APCA, Smart FM, NBS FM, Busoga One Radio, Bridge FM, The Exposure Uganda, International Institute of Health Sciences, Bank of Africa, AJK Group Limited, JPC, 2 Friends, and the many individuals who purchased running kits for themselves and families.
All were awarded certificates of recognition and appreciation. And she reminded the crowd why they were running.
“Every day, we meet people whose cancer has been discovered too late. Some did not recognize the warning signs. Others could not afford investigations or lived too far from services. Behind each late diagnosis is a person – and a family whose life is changed.”
Yet, she said, there is real reason for hope. HPV vaccination can prevent cervical cancer. Screening can identify changes before cancer develops, while earlier diagnosis improves chances of successful treatment.
“What began in 2018 as the Fight Women’s Cancer Run has grown into the Nile Cancer Run, embracing prostate cancer screening alongside the continuing focus on cervical and breast cancer.”
In 2025, RHHJ’s work helped vaccinate 35,152 girls against HPV, screen 4,090 women for cervical cancer and 3,557 for breast cancer, and support 279 patients who could not afford diagnostic tests and treatment.
“The run helps sustain this wider work: raising awareness, bringing prevention and screening closer to communities, supporting access to diagnosis and treatment, and providing palliative care for people living with advanced illness.”
She concluded with a call: “Everyone has a part to play.” And finally, she saw off the Ambassador and the ever ready and committed Hajji Noor Ahmed Osman.
