By Bakari Ssettumba
Kibuli Secondary School defended their crown as overall champions in the Uganda Muslim Education Association (UMEA) Solidarity Games, 2024 held at Masaka Secondary School in Masaka City. The games that started Friday, March 29, 2024 climaxed on Monday, April 1st, 2024.
Kibuli held off competition from powerhouse Kawempe Muslim Secondary School to emerge overall winner, in a competition that saw over 1500 participants take part in outdoor and indoor sports including volleyball, football, handball, netball, badminton, and table tennis.
The Kampala based school also emerged overall winners in the 2023 edition hosted by Kawanda Secondary School.
Over 40 schools took part in this year’s edition.
Closing the gala, Prince Kassim Nakibinge, the titular head of the Muslim community in Uganda commended the organisers for the expanded program that saw record participation from Muslim founded schools.
“This should be the benchmark that all the next solidarity games should attract a number of this size. The idea is to identify and grow talent, build unity and friendship among schools under UMEA,” Nakibinge noted.
The UMEA games started in 1989 with the objectives of forging unity among Muslim founded schools, nurturing talents, advancing Islamic values, preparing teams for the National Championships as well as fostering the wellbeing of students among others.
Other winners of the 2024 edition were:
FOOTBALL BOYS
1st: Masaka SS
2nd: Madinah Islamic
3rd: Kawempe Muslim
FOOTBALL GIRLS
1st: Kawempe Muslim A
2nd: Masaka SS
3rd: Kawempe Muslim B
NETBALL
1st: Kawanda SS
2nd: Greenlight Islamic
3rd: Kadugala SS
HANDBALL BOYS
1st: Kakungulu Memorial
2nd: Gombe SS
3rd: Kawanda SS
HANDBALL GIRLS
1st: Kawanda SS
2nd: Gombe SS
3rd: Mbogo High School
VOLLEYBALL BOYS
1st: Mbogo Mixed
2nd: Namagabi SS
3rd: Kinaawa High School Kawempe
VOLLEYBALL GIRLS
1st: Kinaawa High School Mugongo
2nd: Mariam High
3rd: Ubuntu Hill
BADMINTON BOYS
1st: Kibuli SS
2nd: Kinaawa High School Kawempe
3rd: Kakungulu Memorial
BADMINTON GIRLS
1st: Mbogo High School
2nd: Kakungulu Memorial
3rd: Mariam High
TABLE TENNIS BOYS
1st: Kibuli SS
2nd: Mbogo Mixed
3rd: Kakungulu Memorial
TABLE TENNIS GIRLS
1st: Kibuli SS
2nd: Mbogo High
3rd: Mbogo College
OVERALL CHAMPIONS: Kibuli SS
