By Daniel Mugoya
Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa has represented President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni at the inaugural Olympic Tooke Run held in Bushenyi District.
The run, held on 20 June 2026, was organised as part of the Olympic Day celebrations and also used to promote Tooke, a banana-based product developed under the Presidential Initiative on Banana Industrial Development.
In a speech delivered by Tayebwa, President Museveni said the event was important because it linked sport, health, agriculture, culture and value addition.
Museveni said Tooke had grown from an idea into a product line that now includes banana flour and biscuits, adding that the initiative shows how local food can be turned into commercial products.
“It gives me great joy to see such events because when you see a child grow, you now know that your effort has not been in vain,” Museveni said.
He said Matooke remains an important part of Uganda’s food identity and culture, and that value addition will make it easier for Ugandans at home and abroad to access banana-based products.
“We 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. We are moving forward and we are unstoppable,” he said.
The President thanked Uganda’s sports and Olympic committees for partnering with Rev. Prof. Florence Muranga to hold the run in Bushenyi.
Museveni said running for Tooke was also a way of promoting healthy living, tourism, agriculture, talent and culture.
“When you run for Tooke, you promote health because food sustains us and we derive specific nutrition from Matooke in particular,” he said.
He added that the event would help people learn more about Uganda’s banana varieties and the role of agriculture in household income.
Museveni also used the occasion to call on Ugandans to support local brands and take part in the money economy.
“We are promoting active involvement in the money economy and we are saying, grow what to eat and eat what you grow,” he said.
He said government had created an enabling environment for citizens to work, earn and fight poverty at household level.
The Tooke Run brought together leaders, sports officials, participants and members of the public in Bushenyi, with organisers presenting it as a platform to promote fitness, local food value addition and national pride.
