Suncity biggest winners as MTN rewards outstanding sports women
Franklin Najjuma was among the top five favorite sportswomen. Photos | Elvis Senono
What you need to know:
- The top 5 women Peruth Chemutai, Halima Nakaayi, Jane Asinde, Franklin Najjumba, Janet Mbabazi as per the public’s votes each received shs3m
Suncity Netball team walked away with a community service award and a sponsorship package worth shs30m
The top 5 women Peruth Chemutai, Halima Nakaayi, Jane Asinde, Franklin Najjumba, Janet Mbabazi as per the public’s votes each received shs3m
The other 15 who made it to the top 20 each received shs500,000.
March 8 is a global day that celebrates the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women.
This year, celebrations in many areas were stretched to last the entire month of March.
Telecommunication company MTN meanwhile took it a notch further focusing on sport, a sector often underlooked.
They ran a digital campaign across its online platforms asking the public to nominate outstanding women from different sports disciplines including Athletics, Basketball, Football, Gymnastics, Hockey, Javelin, Kabaddi, Netball, Rugby, Shooting, Volleyball, and Woodball among others, through the MTN Sports website.
Between March 15 to April 4, up to 100 nominations were received, backed by insightful profiles of the nominated women. Subsequently, the public cast their votes for their favorite sportswomen who were rewarded by MTN Uganda.
Dorcas Inzikuru (L) receives the award on behalf of Peruth Chemutai
This week, at a lavish function held at Sheraton Hotel, the top five women as per the public’s votes was each rewarded with shs3m while the other 15 who made it to the top 20 have each received shs500,000.
“Like in many other professions, women in sports still do not receive the same recognition and appreciation as their male counterparts. As MTN we deliberately set out to use the women’s month to shine a light on the greatness of the women in sports. We believe that if we work together in recognizing and celebrating the women who have in no small way upheld our country’s flag far and wide, we shall erase the gap between genders in the sports profession,” Somdev Sen, the MTN Uganda Chief Marketing officer said of the initiative.
Suncity United, a community-based netball team leveraging netball to empower underprivileged girls hailing from slum areas in and around Kampala turned out to be the biggest beneficiaries.
The team received a community service award accompanied by a Shs30m sponsorship package in recognition of their efforts.
The money will go towards facilitating the team’s travel to the United States where the team has been invited to compete in the U.S Open Junior Netball Championships in Atlanta, Georgia, later this month.
“As the Suncity United community, we are humbled to be recognized and supported in our endeavors by the biggest company in the country. This gesture from MTN has motivated us to continue pursuing our goals to continue inspiring more girls in our community through sports,” Rehema Nanyonga, the Suncity United Netball team manager said of the contribution.
The top five winners included Peruth Chemutai, the 3000m steeplechase gold medal winner at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo as well as Halima Nakaayi the 2019 800m World Champion who also won bronze at the 2022 World Indoor Championships.
The others are basketballer Jane Asinde who plays women's college basketball in the US and cricketers Janet Mbabazi, Frankline Najjumba, Peruth Chemutai, and Halima Nakaayi who were each rewarded with shs3m.
The rest of the 15 ladies who made it to the top 20 received shs500,000.
