East Africa Secondary School Games notebook

HOME FANS JAM OPENING PARTY

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When the regional schools’ sports association chose Gulu as the sixth Ugandan town to host the annual Brookside East Africa Secondary School Games, they must not known what to expect. Not even the knowledge of taking the games to Mbarara, Lira, Kampala and other Ugandan towns could have given them the kind of insight on the reception Gulu would give them.

Sunday was a testament of northern Uganda’s hospitality with a mammoth crowd flocking the Peace Stadium for the opening ceremony. The stadium was packed in a manner that left only standing room. The only dampener for the home crowd was Jinja SSS losing 2-1 to Kenya’s Kakamega High School in the football game that superseded the ceremony.

PREMIER RECALLS UPC CONGRESS

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President Yoweri Museveni had been expected to officiate at the opening ceremony of the 16th Brookside East Africa Secondary School Games on Sunday. But he delegated to second Deputy Prime Minister, Ali Kirunda Kivejinja, to do the honours. Once on the podium, Kivejinja gave his own speech before reading the President’s. “The last time I came to Gulu was in 1964 for a (Uganda People’s Congress) UPC Congress,” the 82-year-old told the youth in attendance. Kivejinja was 21 at the time and youth leader in UPC whose leader Apollo Milton Obote was the founding Prime Minister of Uganda in 1962. Not many of the youths could relate with his tale though.  

VOLLEYBALL TAKES SHINE OFF ‘FOOTIE’

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Football is comfortably the most popular sport in this region. But, for once, it had to take a back seat on Monday. The crowd at St Joseph’s College Layibi was engrossed in volleyball as Ugandan sides, Jinja SSS and Nakaseke International College, tussled. Few cared about the football game that ended goalless next door. Football was once described as “the beautiful game admired by all.” Well, this cannot be for long though.