At least 35,000 people across the country, in more than 30 towns, have already bought tickets for this Sunday’s Rotary Cancer Run, organisers have said.
“We are expecting more than 30,000 people to take part in this year’s Rotary Cancer Run across the country. We have runs in 32 venues countrywide and the response so far has been very good,” said Denis Jjuuko, a member of the organising committee.
Last year, Rotary and its partners managed to get the Linear Accelerator, which is a cancer treatment machine that offers a safer alternative where cancerous cells are destroyed without affecting the surrounding tissue.
This year, the purpose of the run is to raise at least shs3.6 billion to build its bunker at the Rotary-Centenary Bank Cancer Centre at St. Raphael of St. Francis Hospital, Nsambya.
Statistics at the Uganda Cancer Institute indicate that on average 1,700 new patients are diagnosed with cancer each year, of these about 700 (40%) are children.
Besides the Kampala edition slated to be held at the Kololo Ceremonial Grounds, other runs will take place in Kisoro, Kabarole, Entebbe, Masindi, Apac, Arua, Bugiri, Bushenyi, Bwera, Gulu, Hoima, Iganga, Jinja, Kabale, Fort Portal, Kabwohe, Kalangala, Kasese, Kitgum, Kumi, Kyotera, Lira, Lukaya, Masaka, Mbale, Mbarara, Ntungamo, Rukungiri, Soroti, Tororo, among others, simultaneously.
Runners will take part in the 5km, 10km and 21km races.
Tickets for the run are still on sale at Centenary Bank branches, Game Stores and all Capital Shoppers branches at Shs20,000.
