Kigali: The 3rd East African Bicycle Tour (Tour d’EAC 2019) themed “Integrate or Perish” is set for 1st August to 20th September 2019, with over 100 cyclists taking on an epic route of over 4,300 km around East Africa over a course of 50 days.
According to the Team Leader and Director of Campfire Logs Guild of Uganda, the lead organizer of the Bicycle Tour, Mr. John Bosco Balongo, the 3rd East African Bicycle Tour will be flagged off on 1st August 2019 at the Independence Monument in Kampala, Uganda by the 2nd Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of East African Community Affairs of the Republic of Uganda, Rt. Hon. Dr. A. M. Kirunda Kivejinja.
The aim of the Annual East African Bicycle Tour, code named Tour d’EAC, is to promote the spirit of the East Africanness among the people of East Africa, promote tourism and business potential of the Community while enhancing the awareness of social and cultural peculiarities of people and places in the East African Community. The ultimate goal of the initiative is to bring the citizens of East Africa to own the integration process.
The East African Bicycle Tour is an expression of unity, oneness, togetherness and peace. By riding through all the East African countries, the ties that bind East Africans together is renewed and strengthened. The event welcomes every East African from whatever part of the region to take part.
The route of the 3rd Bicycle tour will cover Kampala-Jinja-Malaba on the Ugandan side. On the Kenyan side, to will pass through Malaba-Eldoret-Nakuru-Nairobi-Kajiado to Namanga.
On the Tanzanian side, the tour will connect Namanga-Longido-Arusha-Moshi-Dar es Salaam-Chalinze-Morogoro-Gairo-Dodoma-Nzega to Tabora. From Tabora, it will pass through Usinge and enter Burundi through Mugina-Manyonvu border.
In Burundi, the tour will connect Rumonge-Bujumbura-Ngozi-to Rwanda border then to Kigali. From Kigali, the tour will pass through Ruhengeri to Kisoro-Kihihi-Mbarara then to Kampala. The Campfire Logs Guild is partnering with several persons/or organizations in the Partner States to undertake the 3rd EAC Bicycle Tour.
The Secretary General of the East African Community, Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko has commended the organizers of this initiative led by Campfire Logs Guild of Uganda and said that the Tour d’EAC will go a long way to promote the EAC integration agenda.
“We have endorsed this event and written to the Permanent/Principal Secretary/Undersecretary in the Ministries responsible for EAC Affairs in the Partner States notifying and requesting them to support and assist the organizers to undertake this tour successfully in their respective territories”, asserted the Secretary General. (Fin)