NAIROBI, Kenya — Uganda’s young athletes are continuing to make their mark at the ANOCA Zone V Youth Games in Nairobi, with the country collecting medals across athletics, swimming and judo while its tennis and beach volleyball teams also produced strong performances.
The Games, running from August 24 to 28 at Kenyatta University, have brought together more than 300 young athletes from 11 countries competing in seven disciplines. Uganda is represented in athletics, swimming, tennis, judo, cycling, beach volleyball and 3×3 basketball.
Uganda’s medal charge has been led by its young athletes in the track and field events.
Abraham Lincoln Muhwezi won silver in the men’s 200 metres after clocking 22.66 seconds. Kenya’s Bramwel Chasala took gold in 22.43 seconds, while South Sudan’s Faisal Alafi Lino finished third in 22.98 seconds.
Keren Chelimo also claimed silver in the girls’ 3,000m final in 9:41.72, finishing behind Ethiopia’s Yordanos Tsigab Berha, who won in 9:36.64. Kenya’s Tabitha Mwaniki took bronze in 9:42.30.
Uganda added another silver through Abdulhakim Otimrwoti in the men’s under-60kg judo category. He finished runner-up to Kenya’s Haron Benson, earning Uganda its first judo medal at the Games.
In swimming, Arthur Mwase struck gold in the men’s 100m freestyle, giving Uganda another top podium finish.
Uganda also picked up bronze in the girls’ long jump, with Michele Apiyo recording a best effort of 4.34 metres. Kenya’s Purity Munyalo won gold with 4.96m, while South Sudan’s Asumpta Philip took silver with 4.36m.
Cyclist Jacinta Namubiru finished fourth in the time-trial cycling event, narrowly missing out on a podium place.
Tennis stars lead their groups
Uganda’s tennis representatives Samuel Okello and Lillian Ayee have also enjoyed an impressive campaign.
Okello won his opening singles matches convincingly, including a 6–1, 6–2 victory followed by a 6–0, 6–0 demolition.
He subsequently extended his winning run with victories over Jyan Patel 6–3, 6–1, Edward Mwakio 6–1, 6–2, Don Kelly 6–2, 6–2 and Asad Ibrahim 6–0, 6–0.
Ayee has been equally dominant in the girls’ singles, defeating Michelle Murage 6–4, 6–2 and Hadija Saidi Msangi 6–4, 6–2, after earlier registering wins of 6–2, 6–3 and 6–4, 6–2.
The results have put both Ugandan players at the top of their respective groups as the tennis competition progresses.
Tennis was among the disciplines scheduled to begin early in the Games, with Okello and Ayee representing Uganda in the singles and doubles events.
Beach volleyball reaches final
Uganda’s men’s beach volleyball team has also booked a place in the final after defeating hosts Kenya 2–1 in a closely contested encounter.
Uganda won the opening set before Kenya levelled the match by taking the second. The Ugandan pair then held their nerve in the decisive third set to seal victory and advance to the final.
The performance adds to a growing medal campaign for a Ugandan delegation that arrived in Nairobi with ambitions of exposing its young athletes to high-level regional competition.
The Uganda Olympic Committee has described the Zone V Games as an important development platform for the country’s next generation of athletes. UOC President Donald Rukare previously said the competitions serve as an “incubator” for identifying athletes who can represent Uganda at future major events.
The Games are also being viewed as part of the pathway towards the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, with athletes from across the region using the Nairobi competition to gain international experience.
For Uganda, the significance of the competition extends beyond the medal table. The performances of Okello, Ayee, Muhwezi, Chelimo, Otimrwoti, Mwase and Apiyo offer an early glimpse of a generation being tested against some of East Africa’s strongest young athletes.
And perhaps that is the real purpose of youth sport: not merely to ask who won today, but to discover who might still be standing when tomorrow arrives.
