As it happened: Day 1 of Rotary International president's visit to Uganda

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 ROTARY PRESIDENT VISITS UGANDA 

Edited and presented by Joseph Kizza
Updates by Simon Peter Tumwine & Nelson Kiva
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 7:15 PM 

 END OF LIVE PAGE 

It's wrap

Right then, that's what the first day of Rotary International president Francesco Arezzo's visit to Uganda has been.

He will have more engagements on Saturday and we will be back to bring to you updates. Good evening! Buonasera!
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 7:13 PM 

Previous RI presidents visits to Uganda

Francesco Arezzo has joined a list of several Rotary International presidents to have visited Uganda to witness humanitarian projects and support local Rotary growth.

His predecessors that have been here before are: 

• Stephanie Urchick (2024–25): Visited for one week in January 2025 as part of her "African Magic Tour," during which she attended the Peace Symposium at Makerere University and launched the 2025 Rotary Cancer Run.

• Jennifer Jones (2022–23): Visited in September 2022 during her "Imagine Impact Tour" to launch the Rotary Peace Center at Makerere University and flag off the 2022 Rotary Cancer Run.

• Shekhar Mehta (2021–22): Visited in September 2021, where he met with Makerere University management and toured the Rotary Peace Centre.

• John Germ (2016–17): Visited in February 2017 and was hosted by the Rotary Club of Kampala South. During his visit, he inspected the Mukono hospital project, and praised Ugandan Rotarians for their contributions to polio eradication and community development.

• William Boyd (2006–07): Visited in August 2006 to assess humanitarian needs and commend local Rotarians for their service.

NOTE: While Sam Owori of Uganda (pictured below) was elected to serve as the 2018–19 Rotary International president, he unexpectedly passed away in July 2017 before he could take office. He is often honoured during presidential visits to the country.

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 6:57 PM 

Katongole commends RI president Arezzo

At the press conference, Rotary International Director-designate Emmanuel Katongole says that since Francesco Arezzo took over as president of Rotary International, "Africa has achieved a feat what we have never achieved".

"I was privileged to be in a board meeting when President Francesco took a decision that Africa would be two zones. And for that, he will remain implanted in the hearts of Africans," he tells reporters at Munyonyo.

In reforms announced this month, Rotary International reconfigured its structure in Africa, splitting the continent into two distinct zones. That is Zone 22 (Northern and Western Africa) and Zone 23 (Eastern and Southern Africa).

This was done in recognition of the significant membership growth and to enhance regional leadership. The reform aims to improve representation and operational efficiency.

Rotary District 9213 governor Geoffrey Matin Kitakule

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 6:35 PM 

Rotary president roots for partnerships

✍️🏾 Reporting by Nelson Kiva:

The president of Rotary International, Francesco Arezzo, has emphasised the importance of partnerships in driving meaningful change in African communities. 

Flanked by his wife, Anna Maria (who wore a gomesi — a traditional attire for women in central and eastern Uganda), Arezzo told a press conference at Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala on Friday that "Africa is a lion on the moon" and that "time has never been better than it is today".

The Rotary International leader highlighted Uganda's impressive 15% membership growth rate and urged leveraging partnerships to tackle community challenges. "Alone you cannot do a relevant project... You need partners. You need to be a team."

Leaders recommended strategies for Ugandan Rotarians to transition to leadership roles and drive impact through collaboration. With Africa's youthful population and growing Rotary membership, the stage is set for impactful community projects.

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 2:30 PM 

📸 In pictures: Arezzo's visit to Makerere

Makerere Vice-Chanellor Prof. Nawangwe hands over a Makerere University-branded gift scarf to Anna Maria.

The high-profile couple took group photos with different groups.

Here with the Makerere University Rotary Peace Centre students...

With Makerere University staff...

With Rotarians...

Past District Governor for D9213 (2023) Mike Kennedy Ssebalu hands over a book of peace walk to Arezzo.

With Rotary district governor D214 and D213 and Rotaract district governors....

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 1:56 PM 

Rotary is a peace machine - Arezzo

✍️🏾 Reporting by Nelson Kiva:

The President of Rotary International, Francesco Arezzo, has rallied everyone to work for world peace, shortly after touring the Rotary Peace Centre at Makerere University on Friday. He says the centre is one of the eight Rotary peace centres in the world and the only one in Africa.

"I want to thank all the leaders of this university, because the welcome was really outstanding. And this co-operation is going really very well. And we are particularly happy for this co-operation. The peace centre is probably the highest point of our job. Rotary International is a peace machine, and this peace centre is our most important realisation in this field."

Arezzo, who is on a two-day visit to Uganda, said every year they have a lot of young students who attain a degree in peace.

"They are our ambassadors of peace.They have this great responsibility. We have to explain to the world that peace is the most important core value of Rotary International. We have to find the way to practice peace in different ways, because every country needs a different way to face peace."

On his part, Makerere University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe expressed delight to Rotary for establishing  the peace centre at Makerere.

"Up today, we have produced 206 peace fellows who are doing great work in their communities, and the centre is becoming stronger and stronger. We want to appreciate your support as Rotary International for the work  the centre does."
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 1:33 PM 

'We appreciate your support'

In his remarks at the Makerere University Rotary Peace Centre, Vice-Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe hails the work done by Rotarians.

❝Rotary Peace Fellows are doing great work in their communities. The sector is becoming stronger and stronger. We want to appreciate your support, as Rotary International, for the work that the sector does and I want to appreciate in his [RI president] presence the Rotary fraternity in Uganda which has made this centre feasible and vibrant.

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 1:20 PM 

📸 RI president at Makerere University

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 1:15 PM 

Makerere VC welcomes RI president

On to the next part of today's jam-packed programme for the visiting Rotary International president. After the morning engagments at Kawempe, Francesco Arezzo is now at Makerere University for more activities.

He is welcomed by Vice-Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe and other officials. The next activity is at the Makerere University Rotary Peace Centre.

Established in 2021, the Makerere University Rotary Peace Centre in Kampala is the first and currently only Rotary Peace Centre on the African continent,.

It offers a one-year postgraduate diploma and professional development certificate in peacebuilding, conflict transformation, and development, specifically targeting African peace practitioners.
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 1:12 PM 

RI president Arezzo at a glance

Francesco Arezzo is an orthodontist in private practice and owns an agricultural enterprise that produces extra virgin olive oil in Sicily, Italy.

A member of the Rotary Club of Ragusa, Italy, he was selected by the Board of Directors to become Rotary International’s president for 2025-26 from July last year following the unexpected resignation of RI President Elect Mário César Martins de Camargo on June 8,2025.

Arezzo is a graduate of the University of Padua and a member of the Italian, European, and American orthodontics associations, as well as the Italian and European lingual orthodontics associations. He is a dentistry graduate of the University of Cagliari, where he also received a master’s in lingual orthodontics.

He has served as vice-president of the National Association of Italian Dentists for the province of Ragusa and was the founder and head for seven years of the Ragusa delegation to the National Trust for Italy.

Arezzo is also the owner of an agricultural enterprise and producer of extra virgin olive oil in the Monti Iblei region of Sicily. He has been vice-president of the administrative council of the consortium controlling and regulating quality production of oil in that region. He owns two boutique hotel settlements there. He enjoys modern art and opera.

A Rotary member for 36 years, Arezzo has served as vice-chair of the Joint Strategic Planning Committee and as RI director, chair of the 2023 Melbourne Convention Committee, learning facilitator, and district conference presidential representative, among other roles.

Arezzo's partner, Anna Maria Criscione, is an entrepreneur in the tourism field. The couple are Benefactors and Major Donors to The Rotary Foundation.
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 12:47 PM 

What does Rotary do?

Rotary is a global, non-religious, and non-political service organization of approximately 1.4 million professional and community leaders from across  the world. 

Members, known as Rotarians, join local clubs to promote humanitarian service, high ethical standards, and world peace. Their primary motto is "Service Above Self.” Rotary International's world headquarters is in Evanston, Illinois, USA.

The following are the organisation's areas of focus:

• Promoting peace
• Fighting disease such as Polio and Malaria
• Providing clean water
• Saving mothers and children
• Supporting education
• Growing local economies
• Protecting the environment
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 12:40 PM 

Kawempe National Referral Hospital executive director Emmanuel Byaruhanga delivers a presentation on the volume of work that the Kawempe facility handles every day.

WATCH  👇🏽


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 12:34 PM 

WATCH: 'Our fertility rate is high'

Earlier, health minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng contextualized the importance of the Oxygen for Life project at the Kawempe Neonatal Hospital in Kampala.

WATCH  👇🏽


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 12:25 PM 

📸 Officials inspect Kawempe facility

The Rotary and health officials have inspected the equipment at the Kawempe facility, including the radiant warmer.

As explained by medic Eva Nangalo, the radiant warmer is an open-bed, overhead heating device used in neonatal care to maintain a newborn's body temperature, particularly for premature or critically ill infants in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs).

It uses infrared energy to provide stable warmth, with servo-controlled or manual modes for precise, continuous temperature regulation.

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 12:03 PM 

Arezzo hails frontline workers

In his remarks, Rotary International president Francesco Arezzo emphasises the need for stakeholders to unite for a common good, saying the Oxygen for Life project exemplifies such a spirit of unity.

❝This project comes from a strong need of the community and it is done with the community. It is done with the frontline people. Every day, every week, every month, they work on mothers and children.

You are our heroes. You are our essential people because there is no project without you. So thank you for your dedication, for your commitment.

It [the project] was the result of the co-operation of over 40 clubs united to work together. Not only Rotary clubs but also Rotaract clubs. It is so important to work together.

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 11:47 AM 

Aceng thanks Rotary for Oxygen for Life project

Health minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng thanks Rotary for the Oxygen for Life project, a maternal & child health initiative, at Kawempe Neonatal Hospital.

❝Our population adds 1.5 million babies every year. So our fertility rate is high, at 4.5 babies per woman. This is the facility that delivers the highest number of babies in the entire country.

So, having this project here, Oxygen for Life, is extremely useful and critical because it comes to save lives so that every mother can walk home with a baby. The mothers go home alive and the babies go home alive.

Our maternal mortality rate is still high at 183 per 100,000 live births but also the neonatal mortality rate at 22 per 1,000 is still high.

So a project like this is most welcome especially at this time when we are looking forward to reducing our maternal mortality to 70/100,000 and neonatal mortality to 10/1,000 hopefully by within the next two to three years.

So we want to thank Rotary so much for this project and thank you for choosing Kawempe.
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 11:26 AM 

Arezzo meets medics at Kawempe

✍️🏾 Reporting by Nelson Kiva:

Rotary International president (2025-2026) Francesco Arezzo has met medics at Kawempe National Referral Hospital in his first official engagement on his two-day official visit to Uganda.

At Kawempe, he was briefed by the hospital executive director, Emmanuel Byaruhanga (pictured below), who reported that they handle about 550 women daily on a daily basis. And that on average, they handle at least 150 women impatient daily and 400 outpatients.

Byaruhanga reported that they handle at least 250 children daily, including in and outpatients.

"On average, we deliver 60 babies every day and a third of them are delivered by cesarean section (C-section)," he added, saying that since they use various equipment for the work, they need support.

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 10:55 AM 

 BREAKING NEWS 

Arezzo arrives at Kawempe

And here he comes...

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 10:30 AM 

Debrief at first venue

Ahead of the arrival of the Rotary International president at Kawempe Neonatal Hospital in Kampala, health and Rotary officials are already at the facility for a debrief in the office of the executive director of Kawempe National Referral Hospital, Emmanuel Byaruhanga Kayogoza.

Among those present are health minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, Rotary International Director-designate Emmanuel Katongole and Rotary governor of D214 Christine Kawooya.

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 10:23 AM 

📝 Busy day one programme

The visiting RI president's day one programme includes a visit to Kawempe Neonatal Hospital in Kampala and Makerere University Rotary Peace Centre.

Later in the day, he will meet with Rotary leaders at Speke Resort Munyonyo, before holding a press conference.

Also in the evening, Arezzo is scheduled to have a private meeting the Katikkiro (Buganda Kingdom prime minister) Charles Peter Mayiga at BCF Courts, where a dinner will late be held.
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 10:07 AM 

Francesco Arezzo arrived in Uganda in the early hours of Friday to begin his two-day visit to Uganda. He and his wife Anna Maria Criscione were warmly received at Entebbe International Airport.
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 10:00 AM 

Rotary International president visits Uganda

Hello and welcome to New Vision's live text coverage of the visit of Rotary International president Francesco Arezzo to Uganda.

The Italian, who is a member of the Rotary Club of Ragusa in Italy, was selected by the Board of Directors to become Rotary International’s president for 2025-2026 from July last year following the unexpected resignation of president-elect Mário César Martins de Camargo on June 8, 2025.