MTN sponsored Tooro kingdom Empaka Zobugali bwa Masaaza Excites Masses in Kyenjojo. The winner received cash of 500,000 the 2nd 250,000
Hundreds of people yesterday morning lined up on the streets of Katoke town in Kyenjojo district to witness the on-going first edition of the MTN-sponsored bicycle race.
The ongoing bicycle race in Tooro Kingdom is a precursor to the 200th anniversary of the existence of Tooro Kingdom that shall be celebrated later this year, during the Coronation anniversary of the King of Tooro. MTN’s sponsorship of the bicycle races is in line with the partnership between the Kingdom and telecom giant.
The event that attracted 31 participants, was crowned with the five winners from the two categories.
The five winners in the category that raced using ordinary bicycles were Tuhaise Isingoma (winner), Wilson Amanya who came second, Steven Black in third, Wilson Akugizibwe in fourth position while Jimmy Katumba settled for the fifth position, with the winner taking home UGX500,000. 2nd best was rewarded UGX250,000, UGX150,000 for the third best while the rest got UGX100,000 each.
The five other winners that used sports bicycles were Kenneth Tumusiime (winner), Amon Amanya came second, Innocent Banani was the third while Sharaf Nsamba emerged fourth. Gilbert Mugabe came fifth in the race.
Michael Wandera, the Minister of Sports in Tooro Kingdom said that the grand finale will be held on 4th September in Fort Portal and that the King of Tooro, Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru, is expected to be the chief guest.
“I am happy that in all the counties that we have been, the exercise has been peaceful and we expect to conclude in September where each county will be represented by the five winners,” Wandera said.
The competition, which is sponsored by MTN Uganda, is open to men and women of all ages in the nine counties that make up the Kingdom.
Speaking at the launch of the bicycle races recently, Andrew Tusubira, MTN Uganda’s Western Region Business Manager noted that MTN was proud to be a partner of Tooro Kingdom, with which the company had a successful Masaza football engagement early this year.
Besides being a socially entertaining sport, cycling offers unique health benefits like improved strength, balance, and coordination, making it a great sport.
Bernard Tungakwo, the Prime Minister of Tooro Kingdom, said the competition is open to all the people within the kingdom.
“These bicycle races will surely foster unity in social development and growth for our people, especially the youth, just like the Tooro Masaza Cup did. We are indeed honored to partake in this project with our loyal friends from MTN Uganda,” said Tungakwo.
More about MTN Uganda – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHypPhUEBko
