Masaka SS to host UMEA Games

Masaka Secondary School will host this year's UMEA Games.

The games will be played between March 29 to April 1.  Hosts Masaka, Kawempe Muslim, Mbogo Mixed, Mbogo High, Kinaawa High School, Masaka SSS, and Kibuli SSS are some of the schools that are expected to take part in the competition.

The sporting disciplines that will be competed in are football (girls and boys), volleyball (girls and boys), handball (girls and boys), netball (girls), table tennis, and badminton (boys and girls), among others.

Masaka Secondary School headteacher Hajji Musa Mpungu Musoke emphasised how the school is ready to host the event.

"Masaka Secondary School is a big school with over 4,500 students, we can accommodate everyone. Once you are here, you have to feel at home," Mpungu said.

Hajji Hussein Lwembawo Kyagulanyi, the UMEA Solidarity Games General Secretary said the games are meant to forge unity among Muslim-founded schools.

"The UMEA games began way back in 1989, about 35 years ago. Among the objectives of the games is to forge unity among Muslim-founded schools, to nurture talents, to advance Islamic values, to prepare teams for the National Championships, and to foster the well-being of students among others," Lwembawo said.

Kibuli Secondary School was the overall winner of the last edition of the UMEA Solidarity Games that were hosted at Kawanda SS last year. They won five medals, three gold, a silver, and a bronze. Gold medals came from table tennis both boys and girls plus badminton boys. Then they also walked away with silver and bronze medals in handball girls' and boys' football. 

The games are intended to forge unity among Ugandans and inter-schools. These games will help to prepare UMEA school teams for national and international games. The games are also meant to entertain the communities.