What a Pair of EAMV Surgical Gloves, a Kabaka’s Birthday, and a Shs 593 Trillion Plan Have in Common
Inside the stately corridors of Bulange, Mengo, EAMV Managing Director Brian Kavuya handed a Shs 10 million cheque to Katikkiro Charles Peter Mayiga, confirming the company’s Silver Sponsorship of the 13th Kabaka’s Birthday Run. At first glance, the moment could easily be dismissed as a routine photo opportunity. However, doing so would overlook the deeper significance beneath the surface.
East African Medical Vitals stands as the first manufacturer of powder-free latex surgical gloves on the African continent. Its factory in Namanve Industrial Park, Mukono, produces approximately 95 million gloves annually. Its involvement in a cultural health marathon highlights a powerful convergence that Uganda’s policymakers have long envisioned—local industry, traditional leadership, and national health priorities moving in alignment.
Uganda’s Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV), covering FY 2025/26 to 2029/30, was approved by Parliament in January 2025. Its central goal is to increase household incomes and expand employment opportunities as part of a broader socio-economic transformation agenda. The plan is anchored in the theme of sustainable industrialisation for inclusive growth, employment, and wealth creation. It represents the first of three consecutive five-year strategies aimed at delivering a tenfold economic expansion by 2040.
NDP IV is built on five strategic pillars: boosting production, productivity, and value addition; strengthening human capital development; empowering the private sector to drive growth and job creation; expanding strategic infrastructure; and enhancing governance.
EAMV’s sponsorship of the Kabaka’s Birthday Run touches on at least three of these pillars in a single initiative. A Ugandan factory converting imported latex into finished medical products advances value addition and import substitution. A cultural institution mobilising more than 130,000 people around a public health cause supports human capital development. Meanwhile, a private company reinvesting in community health initiatives reflects the private sector’s role as a development partner. In many ways, this is NDP IV in action.
Made in Namanve: The Industrial Story Behind the Cheque
EAMV was founded by Ugandan entrepreneur Ben Brian Kavuya at an estimated cost of USD 14.5 million, with substantial financing from the East African Development Bank. Since producing its first surgical glove in 2021—an event that attracted President Museveni to Namanve—the company has grown into a key regional supplier serving East and Central Africa. It holds ISO 13485:2016 certification for medical devices, as well as Q-Mark certification from the Uganda National Bureau of Standards.
The company’s impact is reflected in its numbers. At full capacity, EAMV meets about 70 percent of Uganda’s domestic demand for surgical gloves. Before its establishment, all such gloves were imported, often taking up to three months to arrive. Today, EAMV can deliver within three to five days. The company has also secured a ten-year off-take agreement with the government, covering 30 percent of the national glove market, while saving the country an estimated USD 17.8 million annually in foreign exchange.
The launch of a second production line in early 2025 has further increased output and created hundreds of additional jobs. This aligns directly with NDP IV’s emphasis on building industries that utilise locally available resources while promoting exports and reducing reliance on imports.
This year’s run is held under the theme “Men for Good Health to Save the Girl Child and the Fight to End HIV/AIDS by 2030.” It confronts a difficult reality: men remain a significant vector of HIV transmission, while adolescent girls and young women continue to face a disproportionate burden of new infections.
Progress has been made, but challenges persist. According to UNAIDS, HIV prevalence among adults aged 15 to 49 declined to 4.9 percent in 2024, down from 7.3 percent in 2010. New infections dropped by 61 percent over the same period, falling from 96,000 to 37,000 annually. More than 1.3 million Ugandans are now receiving antiretroviral therapy. In the Buganda region, new infections decreased by 21 percent between 2020 and 2024.
Despite these gains, over 4,700 babies were born with HIV in 2024 alone. The Katikkiro emphasised that awareness, education, and open communication remain the most effective tools in combating the disease. NDP IV recognises human capital development, including health outcomes, as essential to sustainable economic growth. The run’s theme therefore goes beyond a health message; it is a call for national development action.
The total cost of NDP IV over five years is projected at Shs 593.6 trillion, with approximately 30.4 percent about Shs 180.4 trillion expected to come from the private sector. This contribution is not charity but a strategic investment in the country’s transformation.
EAMV’s Shs 10 million contribution may appear modest in scale, but it carries broader significance. It represents a company producing essential medical supplies choosing to invest in a community health initiative that aligns with cultural values and national priorities.
“Our sponsorship reflects our commitment to the communities we serve,” Kavuya said during the handover. The Katikkiro, in turn, recognised EAMV’s contribution to Uganda’s healthcare system and urged men to take a leading role in the fight against HIV.
Companies that create jobs, reduce imports, strengthen industrial capacity, and invest in public health demonstrate what the private-sector pillar of NDP IV looks like in practice.
Culture, Commerce, and the Road to 2040
Uganda’s Vision 2040 seeks to transform the country into a modern and prosperous society, with NDP IV serving as a critical step along that path. However, strategies alone cannot deliver change. Progress depends on active participation from businesses, institutions, and citizens alike.
When Brian Kavuya presented that cheque at Bulange, he illustrated how a Ugandan manufacturer built with regional capital and producing life-saving products can reinvest in the well-being of its communities. This is not merely philanthropy; it is development in action.
The 13th Kabaka’s Birthday Run will take place on Sunday, 12 April 2026, starting from Lubiri in Mengo. Participation kits are available at Shs 20,000, with race categories of 21km, 10km, and 5km.
