Kabaka’s Birthday Run: How Buganda’s Monarch Wields Unmatched Influence Over Politics and Society

Uganda Today Edition: Kabaka’s Birthday Run: How Buganda’s Monarch Wields Unmatched Influence Over Politics and Society

By Uganda Today Newsroom |  Kampala
www.ugandatoday.co.ug

Every Sunday in April, just before the 13th—when the Kingdom of Buganda celebrates the birthday of its reigning monarch, Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II—Uganda’s social and political spotlight turns toward Lubiri, Mengo. The Kabaka’s Birthday Run, which takes place on the Sunday preceding his birthday, has evolved into Uganda’s most unifying and highly attended one-day public event. And in doing so, it has reaffirmed one indisputable truth: the Kabaka’s influence in Uganda is unmatched, transcending cultural, political, and generational lines.

Mobilizing the Masses

For over a decade now, the Kabaka’s Birthday Run has grown into an annual phenomenon that no politician, policy advocate, or public health campaigner can afford to ignore. With tens of thousands of runners thronging the gates of Lubiri Palace clad in identical kits, the run has become not just a celebration of the Kabaka’s life, but a platform to raise awareness on pressing national issues—this year, the fight against HIV/AIDS took centre stage.

“The Kabaka’s Birthday Run is a unifying event in the fight against HIV/AIDS,” said Darlen Kamusiime, personal assistant to PLU’s Vice National Chairman, Michael Toyota, while handing over a donation towards the run. “We urge everyone to take part.”

That call to unity and purpose has not gone unnoticed by Uganda’s political heavyweights. This year, just like other previous years, two of the country’s most prominent political organizations—the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) and the newly active Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU)—followed the footsteps of the largest opposition political party NUP ledda by Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu to contribute a combined UGX 60 million to support the event. Their public show of solidarity at Bulange, Mengo, was more than a donation—it was a political statement acknowledging the central role of the Kabaka in shaping public sentiment in Buganda and beyond.

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Katikkiro Mayiga’s Message

Buganda Kingdom’s Premier, the Katikkiro Charles Peter Mayiga, used the occasion to send a subtle yet powerful message to Uganda’s political actors. Speaking candidly, he urged the NRM and PLU to win the hearts of Buganda’s people not through rhetoric, but through tangible investment in healthcare.

“If you want to win the hearts of Buganda, invest in the health sector to benefit the people,” Mayiga advised.
“During a visit to Buruuli—one of the 18 counties of Buganda Kingdom—we found expectant mothers delivering under kerosene-lit candles. This deeply concerned kingdom officials.”

His words resonated deeply with a region long considered a political battleground, where service delivery often determines political allegiance more than party slogans.

Symbolism That Moves Beyond Politics

Unlike rallies and campaign launches, the Kabaka’s Birthday Run draws participation from all walks of life—royalists and republicans, opposition figures and state operatives, diplomats and boda-boda riders. It is one of the few remaining spaces in Uganda’s public life where unity is felt and visibly enacted.

This year’s edition, themed “Men Against AIDS to Save the Girl Child,” renewed the Kabaka’s long-standing advocacy for HIV/AIDS prevention. Past themes have touched on sickle cell awareness and fistula treatment—causes often neglected in mainstream health campaigns.

Michael Toyota of PLU noted the importance of such initiatives, saying,

“As PLU, we are committed to improving people’s quality of life, and that is why we are contributing towards this cause.”

The Kabaka’s quiet but profound endorsement of these causes has propelled them into national conversations, demonstrating the unmatched soft power the monarch holds—not through legislation or executive authority, but through respect, legacy, and cultural identity.

A Calendar Staple—And A Political Compass

In a nation where political allegiances often shift with convenience, the Kabaka’s Birthday Run has become a compass—guiding not just the cultural rhythm of Buganda, but also signaling which political actors are attuned to the people’s pulse.

Year after year, the event gathers momentum. Not even rival political movements dare boycott it. And with contributions, endorsements, and statements carefully crafted to reflect the Kingdom’s values, the run has become an annual referendum on relevance—for both politicians and parties.

Buganda may not have its own army or legislature, but through the symbolic force of the Kabaka and cultural institutions like the run, it continues to shape Uganda’s national discourse—reminding leaders that the legitimacy they seek begins with the people’s hearts, not the ballot box alone.

As thousands gear up to run again at the Lubiri this Sunday, one thing is clear: the Kabaka doesn’t need a podium to lead—he runs Uganda’s conscience from the palace courtyard.