Hundreds of thousands of NRM and PLU enthusiasts in Busoga are gearing up to participate in this year’s edition of Uganda’s Chief of Defense Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba’s birthday run, set for this Sunday at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds in Kampala.
Gen Muhoozi, fondly referred to as MK by his peers and fans, doubles as founder and chairman of the Patriotic League of Uganda. He turns 52 this week. The annual run is held this year under the theme Run For Hope.
A group of NRM/PLU youth leaders Friday held a news conference at Jinja Safari Hotel where they made a passionate call to people in the region to join MK’s 52 birthday run.
The leaders expressed gratitude to PLU Secretary General Hon. David Kabanda, who is also the MP for Kasanda County, for procuring running kits worth Shs3 million for runners from Jinja City.
Asuman Kambo, the NRM Administrator for Jinja City, said:
“We thank Hon. David Kabanda for standing with Busoga. These kits will ensure our youth run with dignity. But the demand is huge. I appeal to people of goodwill and patriots to join hands and buy kits for participants who are willing but do not have the means. No one should miss ‘Run For Hope’ because of a T-shirt.”
Kambo clarified that the run is not just symbolic.
“Funds collected from the run will go towards supporting vulnerable youth in the country so that they are empowered. This is hope with action. We run today so a youth in Bugembe or Namulesa can start a business tomorrow.”
He added that while the run has generated huge interest and vibe, not all supporters will make it to Kampala.
“We are in talks with security systems and city security managers in Jinja to make sure a decentralized run on the same day takes place here. Hope must run in Jinja too. Those who cannot go to Kololo will run for MK and for Uganda right here at home.”
Majid Musongola, the Southern Division NRM Chairman, added:
“The CDF has shown us that leadership is about action. ‘Run For Hope’ means hope for security, hope for jobs, hope for our children. We are calling all PLU and NRM supporters, all patriots, to turn up in thousands. Let Busoga paint Kololo yellow. Let the world see that we stand with MK.”
Ritah Nankwanga, Jinja City-based digital content creator and blogger behind Jinja Diary, who also attended the conference said, “Hope is the currency of nations. Without it, even oil and gold mean nothing.
Quoting Greekphilosopher and scientist Aristotle (384-322 BC) who once said, ‘Hope is the dream of a man awake”, Nankwanga told the media that the run is that dream waking up.
“For the boda rider in Mpumudde and the fisherman in Masese, this run is that dream waking up. MK at 52 is telling young Ugandans: ‘Your life is not an accident of geography. You matter.’ Sunday is Busoga choosing to believe again.”
Lillian Mugalya, who serves as Personal Assistant to Asuman Kambo, spoke on standards:
“A nation rises on the character of its leaders. As John C. Maxwell says, ‘A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.’ This is why ‘Run for Hope’ matters. It is not just fitness. It is a declaration that Uganda’s next chapter will be built on discipline, service, and accountability. The youth of Jinja are ready to run that race with MK.”
Other youth leaders at the briefing said buses will ferry participants from Namayingo to Kamuli, Mayuge to Luuka, to Kololo on Sunday morning. The event is expected to draw supporters from across the country.
“At 52, MK runs not for himself, but for hope that a mother in Buyende finds medicine in her nearby health center, hope that a student in Iganga studies without fear, hope that Uganda’s tomorrow is worth the discipline of today.
As Scripture says, ‘those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength… they will run and not grow weary’, Isaiah 40:31. Happy Birthday, Afande CDF. May your 52nd year be a lap toward a stronger, united Uganda,” said Richard Mayengo.
The “Run for Hope” will feature fitness drills, speeches, and a charity drive targeting vulnerable communities in Busoga.
Sowali Mulyangere another PLU leader who also heads the Jinja City Trade Order heaped praise on President Yoweri Museveni not only for his wise and visionary leadership which has put Uganda on the global map, but also for raising MK in a disciplined and responsible manner.
Clad in a white beltless trouser and loose white shirt with matching shoes, Mulyangere expressed his unwavering support for the birthday run which he described as unique and productive.
“Mzee has given us a leader who knows the track and keeps the pace. This run is not just birthday cake, it is a statement that Uganda’s next generation is fit, focused and ready. I will be there and Jinja’s traders will be there”.
TEU EXPLAINER: Why Runs Are the New Town Halls.
Runs, Marathons, and the Politics of Sweat from London to Busoga.
Globally: Why Do Humans Run Together?
Firstly, health matters. The WHO says 1.8 billion adults are physically inactive. A 5km run burns 300-400 calories, cuts heart disease risk by 35%, and floods the brain with dopamine. But if it was just about fitness, people would jog alone at 6am.
Runs are civilization’s oldest campaign tool. Here’s what they actually do:
Fundraising: The London Marathon raised $82M for charity in 2024 alone. Shared pain equals shared buy-in. People donate to sweat, not speeches.
Awareness: The Terry Fox Run for cancer has raised over $850M since 1981. A moving crowd is a moving billboard. You can’t scroll past a road blocked for a cause.
Political Mobilization: Poland’s Solidarity Runs in the 1980s challenged communism. Authoritarians fear crowds. A “run” is a protest they cannot ban without looking weak.
Nation Branding: Rwanda’s Kigali Peace Marathon tells a new story. Tourists don’t come for GDP stats. They come for stories. A marathon is a story on legs.
Social Cohesion: The New York Marathon hosts 55,000 strangers and 2.5M spectators. Nothing unites tribe, class, and race faster than shared blisters.
Aristotle called man a “political animal.” Runs prove it. To run together is to say: “We choose the same direction.” Nietzsche put it bluntly: “He who has a “why” to live can bear almost any “how”. A run manufactures that _why_ for two hours.
Uganda: Why Runs Replaced Rallies.
In Uganda, the microphone is tired. People have rally fatigue. But they still show up to run. Here’s why the track beat the podium:
Trust deficit: Ugandans do not trust speeches. But they trust sweat. If you can run 10km for a cause, you probably mean it.
Fundraising with receipts: “Buy a kit for Shs20,000” is cleaner than “contribute to our cause.” A kit is tangible. Corruption hates tangible.
Bypassing bureaucracy: Want to build a school? Write a proposal, wait 5 to 10 years. Want to fix a borehole? Organize a run, raise Shs50M in one morning.
Youth language- 78% of Uganda is under 30. They do not do town halls. They do TikTok, YouTube, jerseys, and selfies at the finish line. A run is a rally they can post.
Safe politics: In a tense political climate like in Uganda where even a handshake or a hair style gets a million interpretations, “We are running for cancer” is safer than “We’re meeting to discuss governance.” But everybody knows who organized it. The message lands without teargas.
Uganda’s Run Economy, Recent Examples:
Kabaka Birthday Run-120,000+ runners, Shs2B+ for HIV/AIDS, sickle cell, fistula.
Cancer Run by Rotary Funded two bunkers at Nsambya Hospital.
Jinja’s Rays of Hope Cancer Run.
Organised every October to raise awareness,engage stakeholders and raise funds to support hundreds of women who suffer and die from cervical and other related cancers, the run has always attracted hundreds of participants in Jinja City.
MTN Kampala Marathon Shs1B+ annually to education, water, disability.
MK Birthday Run “Run for Hope”. Now adds political mobilization and youth empowerment to the mix.
The TEU Test: Watch what happens after the run. If the money builds the borehole, it was a fundraiser. If only the photos trend, it was a campaign. Busoga will judge “Run For Hope” by that standard.
The Danger: When Runs Become Ritual.
A run without follow-up is a carnival. Kenya’s First Lady ran marathons for “beyond zero” maternal deaths. Maternal deaths stayed. The crowds went home.
TEU Law of Runs: The finish line is not Kololo. It is the village where the borehole either gets drilled or does not.
If Shs3M buys kits but Shs0 empowers youth, then we didn’t “Run For Hope.” We jogged for cameras.
Bottom Line for Uganda.
Runs work because they are honest. You cannot fake 10km. You either finish or you do not. In a country exhausted by words, citizens are voting with their feet.
The question for MK at 52, for PLU, for NRM, for all of us: After Sunday, who keeps running when the cameras leave? Because hope is not an event. It is a habit.
