On March 31, 2026, inside the stately corridors of Bulange in Mengo, EAMV Managing Director Brian Kavuya handed a Shs10 million cheque to Charles Peter Mayiga, confirming the company’s Silver Sponsorship of the 13th Kabaka’s Birthday Run.
At first glance, the moment could easily be dismissed as a routine corporate gesture. But beneath it lies a deeper narrative about Uganda’s evolving development model.
East African Medical Vitals is the first manufacturer of powder-free latex surgical gloves on the African continent. Its factory in Namanve Industrial Park produces approximately 95 million gloves annually. Its involvement in a cultural health marathon signals a powerful convergence of local industry, traditional leadership, and national health priorities.
A Run That Reflects a National Development Blueprint
Uganda’s Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV), covering FY 2025/26 to 2029/30, was approved by Parliament in January 2025. It seeks to increase household incomes and create employment through sustainable industrialisation for inclusive growth.
The plan is the first of three five-year strategies aimed at expanding Uganda’s economy tenfold by 2040. It is anchored on five strategic objectives: boosting production and value addition, strengthening human capital, enabling private sector-led growth, expanding infrastructure, and improving governance.
EAMV’s sponsorship of the Kabaka Run reflects several of these priorities in action. A local factory transforming imported latex into finished medical products highlights value addition and import substitution. A cultural institution mobilising over 130,000 people around a public health cause reinforces human capital development. Meanwhile, private sector investment in community health demonstrates partnership in national transformation.
This is policy translating into practice.
Made in Namanve: The Industry Behind the Investment
EAMV was established by Ben Brian Kavuya at a cost of approximately $14.5 million, with financing support from the East African Development Bank.
Since producing its first glove in 2021—an event attended by Yoweri Museveni—the company has grown into a regional supplier serving East and Central Africa. It holds ISO 13485:2016 certification for medical devices and Q-Mark certification from the Uganda National Bureau of Standards.
At full capacity, EAMV meets about 70 percent of Uganda’s domestic demand for surgical gloves. Previously, all such supplies were imported, often taking up to three months to arrive. Today, local deliveries take between three to five days.
The company has secured a ten-year government off-take agreement covering 30 percent of the national market, helping to save an estimated $17.8 million annually in foreign exchange. A second production line launched in early 2025 has further expanded capacity while creating hundreds of jobs.
This aligns directly with NDP IV’s vision of building industries that utilise local resources, promote exports, and reduce reliance on imports.
Running Towards 2030: The HIV Fight Driving the Cause
This year’s run carries the theme;“Men for Good Health to Save the Girl Child and the Fight to End HIV/AIDS by 2030.”
It highlights a critical public health concern: men remain a key transmission group, while adolescent girls and young women continue to face a disproportionate risk of new infections.
According to UNAIDS, Uganda’s HIV prevalence among adults aged 15 to 49 declined to 4.9 percent in 2024, down from 7.3 percent in 2010. Annual new infections have dropped by 61 percent, from 96,000 to 37,000. More than 1.3 million Ugandans are currently receiving antiretroviral treatment.
In the Buganda region, new infections declined by 21 percent between 2020 and 2024. However, more than 4,700 babies were still born with HIV in 2024 alone.
The Katikkiro emphasised that awareness, open dialogue, and knowledge remain the most effective tools in combating the disease. The run’s theme, therefore, is not just a slogan but a reflection of a broader development priority.
Private Sector Role in a Shs593 Trillion Vision
NDP IV is estimated to cost Shs593.6 trillion over five years, with approximately 30.4 percent, about Shs180.4 trillion, expected from the private sector.
This contribution is not framed as charity, but as co-investment in national development.
EAMV’s Shs10 million sponsorship may appear modest in scale, but it represents a larger principle: aligning business operations with national priorities and community wellbeing.
“Our sponsorship is a testament that we have our communities at the heart of our business,” Kavuya said during the handover.
The Katikkiro, in turn, acknowledged the importance of locally manufactured surgical gloves in strengthening Uganda’s healthcare system and urged men to take a leading role in the fight against HIV.
Culture, Commerce, and the Road to 2040
Uganda’s Vision 2040 aims to transform the country into a modern and prosperous society. NDP IV represents a critical phase in achieving that ambition.
However, such plans depend on active participation from industries, institutions, and citizens alike.
The moment at Bulange was more than a ceremonial cheque handover. It illustrated how a Ugandan manufacturer, built with regional capital and producing life-saving medical supplies, can reinvest in community health initiatives that align with cultural traditions and national goals.
That is not merely philanthropy. It is development in motion.
The 13th Kabaka’s Birthday Run will take place on 12 April 2026, starting from Lubiri in Mengo. Participation kits are available at Shs20,000, with race categories of 21km, 10km, and 5km.
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