Xavier Radio Ug News 24 7
For the first time in more than a decade, Kampala University (KU) can once again speak with confidence among Uganda’s elite university sports institutions. A fifth-place overall finish at the 2025 Association of Uganda University Sports (AUUS) Games did more than add medals to the cabinet — it announced the end of a long and painful rebuilding journey.
KU’s return to the top five has been years in the making. The university last achieved a similar finish in 2011, collecting eight medals to place fifth overall, before scaling its historic peak in 2013 with a third-place finish powered by five medals, three of them gold. That golden period, however, was followed by a steady decline that gradually pushed the institution out of national contention.
By 2015, KU had slipped to sixth place with just one gold medal. Two years later, despite collecting 10 medals, the university finished eighth overall, with netball providing the lone gold. The downward spiral continued in 2019 at the University of Kisubi, where KU managed only two medals and placed seventh, before the COVID-19 pandemic halted the Games entirely in 2021.When the AUUS Games returned in 2023 at Uganda Christian University, KU’s struggles were laid bare. Six medals without a single gold saw the university sink to 10th place — a low point that underlined the urgent need for structural and institutional change.
That change finally bore fruit in 2025. KU mounted a composed and competitive campaign, harvesting 11 medals, including two gold, to climb back into fifth place overall. Beyond the position itself, the performance stood out for its depth, consistency and resilience — clear indicators of a program rebuilt on firmer foundations.
Sports Tutor Martha Soigi attributed the resurgence to renewed institutional commitment, pointing particularly to the backing of University Founder Dr. Alhaji Badru Dungu Katerega. Improved athlete welfare, better preparation and sustained investment in sports infrastructure, she noted, have restored belief across teams and coaching staff.
“This result reflects what can be achieved when sports are treated as a priority at institutional level,” Soigi said. “The athletes competed with confidence because they felt supported.”
More than a statistical improvement, KU’s 2025 campaign represents a shift in identity. After years on the fringes, the university has re-established itself as a serious competitor within Uganda’s university sports landscape.
With belief restored and momentum building, Kampala University’s fifth-place finish at the 2025 AUUS Games may, in hindsight, be remembered not just as a comeback — but as the moment the long-awaited revival truly began.
