The Uganda AIDS Marathon 2026 turns eleven cities and a shared finish line into a platform for testing, treatment, awareness and resource mobilisation — for people living with HIV and the communities who stand with them.
From the first regional weekend in Arua to the Kampala finale, the same energy repeats — testing, treatment access and community wellness carried forward one stride at a time.
Progress has been real. The work is not finished — especially for adolescent girls and young women.
Uganda has made major progress against HIV/AIDS through political leadership, multi-sectoral coordination and sustained partnerships. Yet HIV/AIDS remains a major public health challenge — particularly for young people, women and vulnerable populations.
Uganda currently has 1.526 million people living with HIV, with 37,000 new infections recorded in the last reported year — over 70% of them among adolescent girls and young women — and 20,000 HIV-related deaths.
"The Marathon exists to provide a national platform for solidarity and domestic resource mobilisation, at a time of diminishing donor funds."
Three things drive the initiative: expanding a national platform for solidarity and domestic resource mobilisation; increasing access to integrated health services focused on reducing new infections among adolescent girls and young women; and strengthening partnerships across government, corporate and institutional actors.
New infections have fallen sharply across every population group over fifteen years — the Marathon is built to keep that trajectory moving toward zero.
| Population | 2010 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Adults and children | 96,000 | 37,000 |
| Adults 15+ | 77,000 | 32,000 |
| Adult women 15+ | 45,000 | 21,000 |
| Adult men 15+ | 32,000 | 11,000 |
| All young people 15–24 | 33,000 | 14,000 |
| Young men 15–24 | 9,000 | 3,000 |
| Young girls 15–24 | 24,000 | 11,000 |
| All adolescents 10–19 | 14,000 | 6,000 |
| Adolescent girls 10–19 | 13,000 | 5,500 |
| Adolescent boys 10–19 | 1,000 | 500 |
| Children 0–14 | 20,000 | 4,700 |
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Mobilise communities and stakeholders to strengthen Uganda's HIV/AIDS response.
Overall goal: mobilise communities and stakeholders to strengthen Uganda's HIV/AIDS response through wellness promotion, public engagement, advocacy, awareness and fundraising.
Provide integrated health outreach services across all 11 cities in Uganda — from HIV testing to TB, Hepatitis B and cancer screening.
Bring youth, institutions, corporates and communities into active, visible participation in the national HIV response.
Build resource partnerships with government, the private sector, development partners, civil society and communities.
A 20-member national taskforce plans and coordinates delivery through four anchor partners.
A twenty-member, multi-sectoral national taskforce plans the event, identifies partners, holds monthly coordination meetings, mobilises partners and resources at national and sub-national level, and handles reporting and accountability.
Strategic oversight, national coordination guidance, alignment with Uganda's HIV/AIDS response framework, technical guidance, stakeholder mobilisation and national visibility.
Financial systems for receiving, disbursing and accounting for funds; health sector coordination across 11 cities; technical health expertise; referral support via centres of excellence.
Event planning and execution, national coordination, community mobilisation, stakeholder engagement, media coordination, logistics management and reporting.
Mobilises local leaders, drives Mayor-led HIV awareness, and identifies event venues across the regional activation cities.
Alongside these anchors, national and sub-national HIV Response Partners (HRPs) contribute publicity, event participation and resource mobilisation support — both financial and in-kind.
