Parliament of Uganda has deposited UGX 3 billion into the Rotary Cancer Run account towards the construction and equipping of a cancer treatment centre at St Francis Hospital, Nsambya,
The Speaker, Jacob Oboth-Oboth, said the money was part of commitment pledge made under his predecessor, former Speaker Anita Among.
“When I came in as Speaker, I found that my predecessor had pledged money towards the centre,” Oboth-Oboth said. “While in politics we do not inherit pledges, the burden of cancer knows no politics. As Parliament, we have picked up this pledge and have accordingly deposited Shs 3 billion to the account.”
Oboth-Oboth, a member of the Rotary Club of Kampala Platinum, said he had personally bought 300 running kits and urged fellow legislators to mobilise their constituencies. “I call upon colleague MPs to do the same, lead the entire population in their constituencies, and together we battle this burden,” he said.
Citing 2026 figures from the Global Cancer Observatory, the Speaker said Uganda records about 29,966 new cancer cases and 18,205 deaths a year, with more than 59,662 people living with a diagnosis made in the past five years. He framed the run’s theme, “Gwanga Mujje” — “Nation Arise” — as a call to action across government, the private sector, civil society and the public. “This is not simply a call to run; it is a call to save lives,” he said.
He added that Parliament’s role extended beyond funding to securing radiotherapy technology, particularly Linear Accelerator machines, as well as oversight and legislation. “Our role as Parliament goes beyond financial support,” he said. “We must provide leadership, strengthen oversight, support appropriate legislation, and ensure that national resources respond to the health needs of our people.”
Receiving the contribution, past District Governor Stephen Mwanje, who led the Rotary delegation, said Parliament had given UGX 7.2 billion since the run began 15 years ago, a figure that rose to UGX 10.2 billion with Thursday’s deposit. He said earlier runs had funded a 36-bed cancer ward at Nsambya, but the focus had since shifted to Uganda’s radiotherapy shortage.
“Global statistics indicate that there should be a radiotherapy machine for every 1 million people,” Mwanje said. “In Uganda, we only have three for almost 50 million people. This is a crisis.”
Rotary is seeking to raise UGX 6 billion (about USD 1.61 million) to complete the centre’s radiation bunkers by 2027 and install the Linear Accelerators and other equipment by 2028. Organisers say the one-stop centre is about 60 per cent complete, at a total cost of roughly UGX 14 billion.
