The 2026 edition of the Kabaka Birthday Run, organised by Buganda Kingdom supported by Uganda Baati, among other companies, is projected to attract over 130,000 participants within Uganda and diaspora in the fight against HIV/AIDS according to the Run Chairman Hajj Twaha Kaawaase.
Speaking during the sponsors’ recognition event at Bulange Mengo, he said: “Now, my work is to organise and ensure that you get value for money when you participate in this Kabaka Birthday Run (KBR). I want to assure you that we are going to have 130,000 plus runners. So, your brands, your names are all over the world. The gates are opening at 5 a.m. All we are appealing to the participants is to keep time and to obey security protocols.”
Held under the theme “Men for Good Health to Save the Girl Child and the Fight to End HIV/AIDS by 2030”, Kabaka Birthday Run will take place on Sunday 12th April 2026 and will be flagged off by Kabaka Ronald Mutebi II.
The Kabaka Birthday Run was inaugurated in 2014 to celebrate the 59th birthday of Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II. As of the 2026 launch, the initiative is in its 13th edition. Over this time, the event has grown from a small local road race into one of Uganda’s largest and most impactful social and health advocacy events.
The Uganda Baati Head of External and Corporate Affairs Jackie Tahakanizibwa said: “Uganda Baati is happy to once again stand with the Buganda Kingdom in the fight to end HIV/AIDS by 2030.
As part of our continued commitment to improving the wellbeing of the communities we serve, we have contributed UGX 10 million towards the Kabaka Birthday Run, scheduled for 12th April 2026.”
At the Run, Uganda Baati will host an on-site mobile clinic tent, offering counselling and awareness materials to empower participants with knowledge that promotes healthier choices.
“We believe that building strong community goes beyond providing quality roofing solutions but also actively participating in causes that uplift our people. We remain dedicated to supporting initiatives that contribute to a healthier, stronger and more resilient Uganda.”
“As Buganda Kingdom, I just continue to pledge our commitment and reaffirm it one more time to say that we are ideal partners for corporate social responsibility, which has now evolved to corporate social investment.”
The Buganda Kingdom Prime Minister Charles Peter Mayiga urged the public to make healthier choices in the fight against HIV/AIDS. “You know, by instinct that pushes up the desire. All of us, black or white, yellow or pink, it applies across the board. But there is a difference between humans and the dolphins. We’ve got larger brains. We should be able to understand that sex can lead to death.”
Mayiga added: “I urge you in your corporations and organizations to tell it to your colleagues, you know, explicitly, like I’m saying it, directly. I think it’s the best way to get people out of slumber. Because we’ve got 1.5 million Ugandans with HIV AIDS. That’s deadly. That’s deadly. We need to talk directly to the people we interact with in the workplaces, in the political offices, everywhere.”