Five years ago, convincing a Kampala resident to spend a weekend in Kasese was not the easiest sell. Today, thousands do exactly that every August. They book hotels months in advance. They drive across the country. Some fly in from overseas and take a long bus ride to Kasese for the marathon and, of course, believe it or not, the mad after-party.
As the Tusker Lite Mt Rwenzori Marathon prepares to celebrate its fifth edition this August, it is worth reflecting on what has happened in Kasese over the last five years. Because what started as an ambitious sporting event has evolved into something far bigger; a tourism boom, an economic catalyst, a launchpad for athletes and perhaps one of the most successful examples of place-branding Uganda has seen in recent years.
The story, fittingly, begins with a mountain.
In June 2022, tourism entrepreneur Amos Wekesa and a small team stood atop the snow-capped peaks of the Rwenzoris and raised a Tusker Lite Mt Rwenzori Marathon flag. It was a symbolic gesture, one that marked the beginning of an idea few could fully comprehend at the time. The vision was simple enough: create a world-class marathon in one of Africa’s most spectacular landscapes. The question is not why a marathon was brought to Kasese but rather why Tusker Lite chose to be part of it. For Elizabeth Mutamuliza, Marketing Manager, Beer, at Uganda Breweries, that is precisely why it made sense.
‘Tusker Lite has always been a brand for people who seek out adventure. As a low-carb beer, we naturally appeal to consumers who embrace active lifestyles and are constantly looking for new challenges and new experiences. The marathon gave us an opportunity to create something authentic to the brand while also creating long-term value for Kasese, its people and Uganda’s tourism sector,’ she says.
The first edition, held in September 2022, was a challenging adventure. Runners battled rain, mud and demanding terrain. The conditions were unforgiving, but they also became part of the event’s identity. The local community embraced it immediately. Villages transformed into cheering stations. Roads filled with spectators. Businesses opened their doors to visitors arriving from across Uganda and beyond. And when the race ended, another experience began; the after party.
The after-party, the Tusker Lite Neon Rave, is mad. Picture thousands of people from across the world dancing in the streets the whole night, chugging beer and sharing street food. One boda boda rider told me he had worked for 17 hours straight, arriving at his workstation a few hours after the marathon, he worked all evening and all night without resting. A story is told that on the night of the second edition, Kasese ran out of chicken.
By the third edition, the event had secured World Athletics course certification, giving athletes such as Abel Chelangat access to internationally recognised times and opening pathways to bigger opportunities abroad. Yet while the athletic success stories are impressive, the transformation of Kasese itself may be even more remarkable. A study by the Makerere University Tourism Research and Development Centre estimated that the marathon generated more than Shs3.5 billion for the local economy during the 2023 event weekend alone. Hotel owners, bartenders, street food venders, bodaboda riders, everyone benefits from the influx of visitors. But the impact extended beyond economics.
Every year, thousands of people who may never have considered visiting Kasese find themselves spending a weekend there, discovering the Rwenzoris, exploring Queen Elizabeth National Park, visiting local attractions and experiencing the warmth of the community. Now, as the event prepares to mark its fifth edition on August 22, a $1 million (about Shs3.6 billion) prize kitty was announced, further elevating its profile. Party hunters from across the country are twitching impatiently. Five years ago, the idea was to organise a marathon. Today, it has become launchpad for pro athletes, for tourism, for local enterprise and unsurprisingly, wild party town.