{"id":123007,"date":"2026-06-21T15:03:24","date_gmt":"2026-06-21T15:03:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/hundreds-join-olympic-day-tooke-run-to-combat-malnutrition"},"modified":"2026-06-21T15:58:59","modified_gmt":"2026-06-21T15:58:59","slug":"hundreds-join-olympic-day-tooke-run-to-combat-malnutrition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/hundreds-join-olympic-day-tooke-run-to-combat-malnutrition","title":{"rendered":"Hundreds Join Olympic Day Tooke Run to Combat Malnutrition"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Uganda. <\/strong><\/span>Hundreds of participants gathered in Bushenyi District for the Olympic Day Tooke Run, an event that combined athletic competition with a public health campaign aimed at promoting nutrition, healthy living and sustainable agricultural development.<\/b><\/p>\n

Held under the theme, \u201cMove, Learn and Discover for Nutrition Care,\u201d the event attracted fitness enthusiasts, professional athletes and community members from different parts of the country.<\/p>\n

Organisers said the initiative was designed to highlight the importance of matooke in enhancing food security and combating malnutrition while encouraging healthier lifestyles among Ugandans.<\/p>\n

The event was flagged off by Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa, who represented President Yoweri Museveni as chief guest.<\/p>\n

While delivering the President\u2019s message before launching the 5km and 10km races, Tayebwa reaffirmed the government\u2019s commitment to food security initiatives and urged Ugandans to embrace agriculture as a key driver of both health and economic prosperity.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody knows matooke. It is for this reason that this initiative is magnifying the need for us to take pride not only in our linguistic diversity but also in the food that defines life and sustainability. It is for this reason that I deemed it fit to support the Tooke initiative to add value to what we eat, and as mentioned above, it is now making flour and other products like biscuits and many more,\u201d Tayebwa said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe may no longer need to peel bananas and perform other cumbersome tasks in future, since access to matooke flour will be easy, even for those in the diaspora,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

The President also commended the partnership between the Uganda Olympic Committee and nutrition advocate Rev. Prof. Florence Isabirye Muranga in promoting nutrition awareness through sport.<\/p>\n

\u201cI appreciate the Uganda Olympic Committee for partnering with Reverend Professor Florence Muranga to celebrate International Olympic Day in Bushenyi and promote the Tooke cause, which is now a symbol of value addition for economic empowerment,\u201d Tayebwa said.<\/p>\n

Prof. Muranga, the founder of the Tooke initiative, welcomed the government\u2019s support and emphasized the potential of transforming matooke into high-value nutritional products to improve community health and food preservation.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur theme today, \u2018Move, Learn, Discover with Nutrition-Care,\u2019 is not merely a slogan. It is a call to action. This is not just a race. It is a celebration of health, innovation and national pride,\u201d Muranga said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs Nutrition Ambassador, my commitment extends beyond athletes. It reaches every child in Uganda because today\u2019s well-nourished child is tomorrow\u2019s champion,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

The event also featured competitive races that showcased outstanding athletic talent.<\/p>\n

Joshua Ayeko won the men\u2019s 5-kilometre race, while Chebet Isera emerged victorious in the women\u2019s category.<\/p>\n

In the 10-kilometre races, Jabeth Chesiro claimed the men\u2019s title and Nancy Chepkorir won the women\u2019s event.<\/p>\n

The 21-kilometre half marathon was dominated by institutional athletes, with Abel Chebet of the Uganda Police Force taking the men\u2019s crown and Esther Chebet of the Uganda Prisons Service winning the women\u2019s title.<\/p>\n

Beyond the competition, organisers emphasized the importance of adopting healthier lifestyles and modern agricultural practices to strengthen food security and improve nutrition outcomes.<\/p>\n

Stakeholders expressed optimism that the Olympic Day Tooke Run will become an annual event, using the power of sport to advance nutritional awareness, promote food security and build healthier communities across Uganda.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Uganda<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Uganda. Hundreds of participants gathered in Bushenyi District for the Olympic Day Tooke Run, an event that combined athletic competition with a public health campaign aimed at promoting nutrition, healthy living and sustainable agricultural development. Held under the theme, \u201cMove, Learn and Discover for Nutrition Care,\u201d the event attracted fitness enthusiasts, professional athletes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":123006,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,17],"tags":[234],"class_list":["post-123007","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-sport","tag-uganda"],"yoast_head":"\nHundreds Join Olympic Day Tooke Run to Combat Malnutrition - Uganda<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Hundreds of participants gathered in Bushenyi District for the Olympic Day Tooke Run, an event that combined athletic ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/hundreds-join-olympic-day-tooke-run-to-combat-malnutrition\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Hundreds Join Olympic Day Tooke Run to Combat Malnutrition\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Hundreds of participants gathered in Bushenyi District for the Olympic Day Tooke Run, an event that combined athletic ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/hundreds-join-olympic-day-tooke-run-to-combat-malnutrition\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Uganda\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-21T15:03:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-21T15:58:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/uganda\/sites\/34\/2026\/06\/sm_1782044920.274643.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/hundreds-join-olympic-day-tooke-run-to-combat-malnutrition#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/hundreds-join-olympic-day-tooke-run-to-combat-malnutrition\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Hundreds Join Olympic Day Tooke Run to Combat Malnutrition\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-21T15:03:24+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-21T15:58:59+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/hundreds-join-olympic-day-tooke-run-to-combat-malnutrition\"},\"wordCount\":568,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/hundreds-join-olympic-day-tooke-run-to-combat-malnutrition#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/uganda\/sites\/34\/2026\/06\/sm_1782044920.274643.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"uganda\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"sport\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/hundreds-join-olympic-day-tooke-run-to-combat-malnutrition#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/hundreds-join-olympic-day-tooke-run-to-combat-malnutrition\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/hundreds-join-olympic-day-tooke-run-to-combat-malnutrition\",\"name\":\"Hundreds Join Olympic Day Tooke Run to Combat Malnutrition - 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