MTN Uganda has joined forces with Tooro Kingdom to promote Healthy Living and Sports Development.

The development comes after MTN Uganda announced its partnership with the Kingdom for the highly anticipated second edition of the Bicycle Racing and Masaza Football Tournament.

With a commitment of over Shs150 million in sponsorship, MTN is dedicated to fostering healthy living and sports development among the youth in Tooro Kingdom.

The Masaza Football Tournament and Bicycle Racing, organized by Tooro Kingdom, is set to attract audiences as it runs concurrently across the nine counties of the Kingdom for two months. The initiative serves as a catalyst for engaging the youth in sports activities and providing them with a platform to channel their energy into healthy pursuits.

MTN Uganda believes in the transformative power of sports to uplift communities and empower individuals. John Paul Okwi, the Head of Sponsorships and Events at MTN Uganda, expressed the company’s dedication to this cause. 

“We call upon all the subjects of King Oyo to embrace sports as we raise our voices and encourage the youth to prioritize their well-being by taking good care of themselves, both physically and mentally,” Okwi said.

The Prime Minister of the Kingdom, Stephen Kiyingi Amooti, highlighted the significance of these events.

“Our King HM Oyo Kabamba Iguru has dedicated a lot of his own time and effort to ensure that youths take the reins of leadership in every sphere and area where they are found, but this can only be achieved if they embrace a healthy lifestyle,” he said.

 Michael Wandera, the Tooro Kingdom Minister for Sports, commended MTN for their consistent partnership and support.

“We appreciate the partnership with MTN, which aims to promote healthy well-being among the youths of Tooro through sports.”

The collaboration with Tooro Kingdom for the Masaza Football Tournament and Bicycle Racing showcases MTN’s dedication to uplifting the youth and promoting a healthy lifestyle through the spirit of sports.

The MTN-sponsored Busoga Kingdom bicycle race competition dubbed “Obugaali Bwa Masaza” was concluded last weekend in the Eastern District of Jinja.

66 participants from the 11 counties of Busoga were flagged off by His Majesty William Wilberforce Gabula Nadiope IV at the Kyabazinga Headquarters in Jinja.

His Majesty, the Kyabazinga of Busoga thanked his people for embracing the MTN-sponsored bicycle races and also thanked MTN Uganda for choosing to engage the youth of Busoga Kingdom in a beloved sport that has spread cheer across the 11 counties of the Kingdom.

As suggested by the Kingdom officials, the competitors rode a whooping distance of 188 km, traversing nearly the entire Busoga region. Starting off from Kyabazinga headquarters in Bugembe-Bwekula-Namulesa the cyclists rode around the different parts of Jinja city before proceeding to Iganga, Kaliro-Bukova, Gwembuzi, Namwendwa, Kamuli, Buwenge and finally right back to Jinja at the Bugembe Kyabazinga headquarters.

According to Amin Bossa, the Busoga kingdom Minister of sports, the race route was planned with the goal of giving each region of Busoga a glimpse of the MTN-sponsored bicycle race finale.

“We wanted every region to see their representatives as they ride through their region as well as the rest of Busoga. The cyclists had enough time to train and they were all excited and looking forward to this race,” Bossa said.

The MTN-sponsored Obugaali Bwa Masaza competition has traversed all 11 (Masaza) counties of the Kingdom including; Bugabula, Kigulu, Luuka, Butembe, Bukooli, Bunha, Busiki, Bulamogi, Bukono, Bunhole-Bunanhumba and Bugweri with the supreme goal of fostering unity and cultural pride among the people of Busoga.

Each of the 11 counties (Masaza) was represented by their top cyclists who qualified at the county-level races. The competitions featured both sports and ordinary bikes.

Bukholi county’s Tiffu Luganda emerged the overall winner having completed first in the ordinary bicycle category. Luganda Won a brand-new Bajaj Boxer motorcycle worth UGX.5,500,000/=.

Butembe county’s John Odoto who completed first in the sports bike category won a brand new TVS motorcycle worth UGX.4,700,000/=. All the top 5 winners across the two categories won assorted cash prizes while all the participants received a participatory reward of UGX.50,000/= courtesy of MTN Uganda.

Speaking at the event, Joseph Bogera the General Manager for Sales and Distribution at MTN Uganda thanked the Kyabazinga of Busoga for the great partnership that exists between MTN Uganda and the Kingdom.

“We are indeed overjoyed with the reception that the bicycle races have received in Busoga. As MTN, we are strongly grounded in the belief that we are good together. We only succeed if the communities in which we operate succeed. As such, we pledge to continue working together with the people of Busoga through various initiatives including sports, health and education among others,” Bogera said.

Bogera concluded by thanking the people of Busoga for embracing the races and for using the competition as an opportunity to network and pride in the heritage of the Kingdom.

The bicycle race, which is also the first of its kind between MTN and the Kingdom, has been concluded successfully without any disruptions and accident cases.

According to Bbosa, all the cyclists were advised to wear cycling helmets, which they all did. Below are the 2022 MTN Busoga Kingdom Obugaali Bwa Masaza race winners and the prizes they won.

Ordinary Bike Winners – 188 Kilometers
Position	County	Cyclists’ Name	Cash Prize
1st	Bukooli	Tiffu Luganda	Brand New Bajaj Boxer worth 5M
2nd	Kigulu	Younger Brian	UGX.2,000,000
3rd	Bukooli	Majidu Kyaawa	UGX.1,000,000
4th	Bugwer	Julius Magumba	UGX.500,000
5th	Bunha	Muzira Hakimu	UGX.300,000
Sports Bike Winners – 188 Kilometers
1st	Bumble	John Odoto	Brand New Motorcycle worth 4M
2nd	Luuka	Kiwanuka Silimu	UGX.2,000,000
3rd	Kigulu	Mayinja Wakiiku Hussein	UGX.1,000,000
4th	Butembe	Dominic Mugooda	UGX.500,000
5th	Bunha	Shafiq Mumba	UGX.300,000