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The Kabaka Birthday Run has significantly improved access to treatment for obstetric fistula in Masaka and beyond, with beneficiaries and health workers crediting the initiative for saving lives and expanding care for vulnerable women.
Since 2014, when Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II directed that the annual Kabaka Birthday Run focus on health-related causes, the initiative has grown into a major contributor to Uganda’s public health response, supporting treatment and awareness campaigns for conditions such as obstetric fistula, sickle cell disease, and HIV/Aids.
In Masaka City’s Kinobero village in Nyendo-Mukungwe Division, beneficiaries like Muhammad Musigire and his wife Mariam Ndagire have directly felt the impact of the programme.
Ndagire received treatment for obstetric fistula at St Joseph’s Kitovu Hospital, funded through early contributions from the run.
She recounted that her condition developed after complications during childbirth, worsened by delayed and inadequate medical attention.
Unable to afford treatment for a long time, she explored several options before eventually accessing care at Kitovu Hospital, where she was successfully treated.
“The Kabaka saved me because the treatment I received did not only involve medicine; the health workers also cared for me without asking for any payment,” Ndagire said.
At St Joseph’s Kitovu Hospital, Sister Dr Emerida Nabukalu, who oversees fistula treatment, said funding from the Kabaka Birthday Run significantly strengthened the hospital’s capacity to manage the condition.
She noted that within three years of receiving support, the facility accessed about Shs 100 million, which helped expand treatment services.
She added that before the intervention, the hospital struggled with overcrowding, limited funding, and deep-rooted misconceptions about fistula.
However, with sustained support, more than 3,000 women from different parts of the country have since received treatment.
“Support from the Kabaka Birthday Run greatly improved fistula treatment because many women can now access care without paying large amounts of money,” Dr. Nabukalu explained.
The First Deputy Katikkiro and Minister for Administration, Technology and Innovation in the Buganda Kingdom, Prof Twaha Kaawaase, said the kingdom deliberately selects health themes for the run based on diseases that have a high burden in communities across Buganda.
He explained that the initiative reflects the kingdom’s broader commitment to public welfare, noting that health challenges cut across religion, ethnicity, and nationality.
Beyond the annual run, the Buganda Kingdom continues to implement a range of community health programmes aimed at improving wellbeing.
Since its inception, the Kabaka Birthday Run has focused on major health issues including fistula, sickle cell disease, and HIV/Aids.
The Kabaka has also received international recognition for his contribution to HIV/Aids advocacy, influencing the decision to sustain the campaign until the global target year of 2030.
