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MTN Uganda’s Corporate Social Responsibility arm, the MTN Foundation has donated Ugx 50,000,000 towards the Elgon region flood victims through the Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS). This money will be used to buy non-food relief items to support up to 100 of the families that have been displaced.

The devastating floods ensued after two rivers burst their banks, following the heavy rains that hit the Elgon region. The flash floods submerged farms, homes, shops, and roads. Thousands of people were displaced while more than 24 others lost their lives. The most affected districts include Mbale, Kapchorwa, Bulambuli, Manafwa, Sironko, and Namisindwa,

It is against this premise that MTN Uganda, through its foundation arm which aims to improve the lives of the communities within which the Telecom operates has come in to reach out to the Elgon region floods victims with relief aid worth UGX. 50 million targeting 100 families and 600 people altogether.

While handling over the dummy cheque to the Red Cross at the MTN headquarters today, MTN Uganda’s Acting Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Bugembe expressed MTN’s heartfelt sympathy to all people affected by the floods. 

“Facing such a disaster at such a critical time as the country is recovering from the adverse effects of the Covid-19 pandemic is a tough trial. As MTN Uganda, we stand with the people of the Elgon region who have suffered great loss in these heavily destructive flash floods. We hope that this modest support we have rendered will offer them comfort and a foundation for social and economic recovery,”

MTN’s contribution of UGX. 50 million shall be used to provide for 100 households non-food-item kits to reach out to the most vulnerable families comprising of children, women, disabled people and the elderly. Each of the kits contains 2 cooking pots, 6 cups, 6 plates, 1 knife, 1 ladle, 2 jerry cans, 3 blankets, 3 mosquito nets, 3 bars of soap, and 1 tarpaulin for shelter.

While receiving the cheque, Robert Kwesiga, the Uganda Red Cross Secretary General appreciated MTN for always supporting disaster-stricken communities across the country. 

“This is not the first time MTN Uganda has supported people affected by disasters. We are happy to have a company like MTN that has always supported us in extending relief to various communities that are hit by disasters.” Kwesiga said.

As a corporate citizen, MTN Uganda is committed to improving the lives of the people in the communities within which it operates. This is done by complementing the government’s efforts in various national priority areas including disaster responses.

 

Over 200 participants on Sunday morning participated in the Tooro Kingdom MTN-sponsored empaka z’obugaali bwa Masaza in Fort Portal city.

The bicycle races that were launched as a precursor to the Kingdom’s 200th anniversary will be undertaken by all 9 counties of the Tooro kingdom. The final race shall be held during the Empango celebrations week and shall be provided over by the King of Tooro.

Michael Wandera, the Tooro kingdom sports minister who presided over the Sunday bicycle racing event in Fort Portal said that the city had registered the highest number of participants since they started.

“Am happy that we are progressing on very well I appreciate everyone who is participating in these exciting challenges. I urge more and more people to turn up for the rest of the races,” Wandera said.

Wandera also commended MTN for supporting the bicycle racing competitions in Tooro kingdom.

“As a kingdom, we are very happy with MTN because it has supported a lot of activities in the kingdom and we shall always work with them,” Wandera noted.

Steven Ayebale who participated and came first in the ordinary bike category could not hide his excitement after receiving his cash prize of 500,000 shillings.

“Am happy that I have finally won and MTN has given me cash I’m going to buy another bicycle and am encouraging other people to also participate because it’s a very good event and well organized,” Ayebale said.

The other ordinary bike category winners were; Musa Kavuma in the second, Godfrey Ngozi came third, Moses Nabasa was the fourth and Robert Isingoma was the fifth.

In the sports bike category the winners, from first to fifth were: David Semu, Robert Tugume, Peter Asiimwe, Frank Tusiime, and Wilbert Tusiime

MTN Uganda in partnership with Ker Alur Kingdom has today launched the MTN sponsored inter county bicycle racing competitions. The race is a build-up to the 12th coronation anniversary of the King of Ker Alur, His Royal Majesty Ubimu Phillip Rauni III, in October. This sports activity is part of other social-cultural activities supported by MTN, as part of the partnership agreement signed with the Ker Alur Kingdom in 2019.

The bicycle race event is the first ever MTN-sponsored activity in Ker Alur Kingdom. It will be implemented under the theme “Ending Child Pregnancies and Marriage in Alur land”. 

The launch of Nwech Gari mipyem ma Ker Alur Oyobo MTN (Ker Alur MTN bicycle races) was held at Nebbi primary school in Nebbi Municipality, were the race kit was unveiled to the public and members of the press. Representing MTN Uganda at the launch, Phillip Odoi, MTN Uganda’s Northern and West Nile Region Business Manager affirmed that the Ker Alur MTN bicycle races, reinforce the objective of the partnership between MTN Uganda and Ker Alur, which is uplifting the socio-economic wellbeing of the people of Ker Alur Kingdom through sports, education, and health initiatives.

“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. We are therefore happy to join hands with the Kingdom of Ker Alur to champion the fight against teenage pregnancies and early marriages through awareness amplified by the Ker Alur MTN bicycle races,” said Odoi. 

Registration for the MTN Uganda sponsored bicycle races will start tomorrow 7th to 15th August 2022. The preliminary races to select the riders that will represent the Alur sub-regions of Jonam, Padyere & Okoro, will be held between 18th and 22nd August in each of the regions. The grand finale shall be held on 27th August 2022 in Nebbi Municipality. Registration for the races is free. All registration will be conducted in the chiefdoms within the sub-regions. 

Vincent Ochaya, the Executive Director of Ker Alur Kingdom thanked MTN Uganda for supporting this social activity in the kingdom and for recognizing the value that cultural institutions have in the community.

“These bicycle races will offer us a platform to sensitize the people in Alur land about the dangers of teenage pregnancies and marriage as we strive to address the issue of poor maternal health in our region,” Ochaya said 

According to the Ker Alur kingdom officials, there is a current need to address insufficient maternity facilities in Alwi Health Centre III in Pakwach District, Pawong Health Centre III in Nebbi District, and Zeu Health Centre III Zombo District. To that end, MTN Uganda is set to officially launch a maternity ward at Pakwach Health Center IV that it refurbished and re-equipped to extend improved maternal services in the area.

In addition to Ker Alur Kingdom, MTN Uganda has partnered with other cultural institutions like Bunyoro, Tooro, Ker Kwaro (Acholi), and Busoga Kingdom, to support efforts to uplift the socio-economic, and cultural wellbeing of these communities in the areas of health, education, and sports. 

Before the thousands of fans that had come to grace this year’s MTN Busoga Masaza Cup competition, it had to be defending champions Kigulu and Bukhooli-Namayingo that sailed through to book a place in this year’s final.

This follows their respective victories in the tournament’s semi-finals that were held yesterday at Bugembe stadium, following a postponement from Monday due to the heavy rains in Jinja town that hampered the matches.

Bugabula is a two-time Busoga Masaza Cup winner and will be playing against Bukhooli- Namayingo in the upcoming final match that is set to be held on the 13th of this month in a yet-to-be-disclosed venue.

Goals from Andrew Wandera and Arshraf Sanyu gave Bukhooli-Namayingo a comfortable 2-0 victory against 2017 champions Butembe.

Bukooli-Namayingo’s Captain, Douglas Soita credited the team’s win to thorough preparation by the team.

In the second semi-finals of the day, Kigulu had to dig deep to get a result that took them to their third consecutive finals.

Kigulu’s Wilberforce Bikupe scored the first goal 36 minutes into the spirited game. Fifteen minutes later, Bugabula’s Magidu Kazindula leveled the score at 1-1 till 90 minutes, calling for penalties that saw Kigulu book a slot in the Final match with its score of 5 penalty shots against Bugabula’s 4 shots.

“We fought so hard for today’s win and that showed us that our players still have that hunger to play in another final. We just need to be so efficient this time”, said the Kigulu coach, Yusuf Bagalaliwo after the match.

Busoga kingdom deputy sports minister Daniel Musota clarified that the finals will be held in a neutral venue on August 13.

“We thank our sponsors, MTN and Mayuge sugar Limited for the support towards the Busoga Masaza Cup,” Musota said.

The Busoga Masaza Cup was flagged off in May by the King of Busoga, His Majesty, Wilberforce Gabula Nadiope IV, and the then MTN Chief Executive Officer Wim Vanhelleputte alongside other high-level personalities in Busoga. MTN is the lead sponsor of the 5th edition of the Busoga Masaza Cup following a two-year partnership between the Kingdom and Telecom.

The tournament was partaken by all the 14 counties of Busoga under the theme “Talent Identification, Development and Promotion”.

According to Musota, new talent has been identified throughout the two-month-long tournament, a good sign for an even better season next year.

Saying good bye is never easy. Bidding farewell to a great leader, friend, business partners and colleague is even harder. This was the mood at the Kampala Sheraton gardens last Friday evening as Wim Vanhelleputte’s friends and colleagues gathered to bid him farewell.

The colorful farewell cocktail party was graced by a cross section of Vanhelleputte’s friends, colleagues and business partners of MTN Uganda who came to bid him farewell on what had been his last day as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MTN Uganda, a position he had held for six years, making him the longest serving MTN Uganda CEO.

In their remarks, his friends, regulators, stakeholders and business partners referred to him as an amiable gentleman who sought win-win situations at all times.

Vanhelleputte who was the MTN Uganda Chief Executive officer from July 2016 to July 2022 was described as a tenacious leader who saw the company through some of the most challenging times yet managed to set a track record of success for the company year after year.

While recapping Vanhelleputte’s six years at the helm of MTN Uganda, the company Chairman, Charles Mbire, in an emotional speech, described Vanhellleputte as a perfect, honest gentleman. Mbire summed up Vanhelleputte’s leadership in three simple words; “Numbers don’t lie”.

In her farewell remarks to Vanhelleputte, Yolanda Cuba, the MTN Vice President for Southern and East African MTN Markets praised him for the great leadership to MTN Uganda and congratulated him upon his promotion.

“To say you have been a remarkable leader is an understatement. I know you will achieve the kind of success that you have achieved here,” Cuba said.

In his parting remarks, Vanhelleputte thanked all his friends, colleagues and MTN staff for the great support that they rendered his during his tenure as the MTN Uganda CEO. He thanked his chairman, Mr. Mbire for his professionalism and described him as a remarkable business leader.

“I thank you all for your support over my tenure in Uganda. As I move on to my next role, I am confident that Sylvia (New MTN Uganda CEO appointee) will take us to the next level,” Vanhelleputte said.

Vanhelleputte was promoted to a regional role as Operating Executive for the WECA Markets of Liberia, Guinea-Conakry, Guinea-Bissau, and Congo-Brazzaville within the MTN Group effective today, August 1, 2022.