Former ULGU president Monica Ntege remembered

Former Uganda Ladies Golf Union (ULGU) president Eva Magala has praised the late Monica Ntege for her mentorship, which saw Magala emulate her in various aspects.

Ntege, also a former ULGU president, All Africa Challenge Trophy (AACT) president and trustee; former Uganda Golf Club captain; national team player; winner of several national championships; and former minister of works and transport, passed on at Nakasero Hospital after a long illness.

She died more than a year after her husband, Mark Ntege, also passed on last year. Magala replicated all the roles the late executive served in, serving as a lady captain and union president, among others. 

“All I can say is that she inspired me to do many things. When I joined Uganda Golf Club, I was the youngest, I think, at that time. And I looked forward to stepping into her shoes all the way,” Magala said. And I did exactly that with her encouragement. I started by becoming a lady captain because of her inspiration. She used to tell me that I could do it. She inspired me to aim to become a single handicapper. She was older than me, but she could maintain a single handicap.

“I went to the East and Central Africa Challenge Trophy; I became the trustee because of her. She was president, and I was president as well, even for the All-Africa Challenge Trophy. So, we have been working together on the AACT. We worked on the constitution because she was too busy. I took on the mantle to help her do her work during the All-Africa Challenge Trophy after she got a new job as a minister, and she has been our trustee.” 

Magala also played with Ntege on the ladies’ national team, and she represented us for many years, so she has been a legend. Grace Obua, who served as the union's secretary when Ntege was president, said she was shocked by her death. 

“I last saw her last year when I was in Kampala, and we even talked. She said she was recovering. We were very close friends. I worked with her when she was a lady captain; I was on her committee. When she was president, I was still, you know, attending the meetings as an ex officio. We have been very close,” Obua stated.

We started the junior golf training together with her. She supported us by securing sponsorship for junior training. In fact, she wrote to St. Andrews when we started this training for the juniors and explained how St. Andrews began supporting the ladies in 2004. “It is sad that we have lost her. But we pray the children will keep the legacy of their parents.” 

The current ULGU president, Rita Apell, said the late president's legacy extends far beyond her service as a former minister of works. “Within the golfing fraternity, she was a pillar of strength and inspiration. As a past president of the East and Central Africa Challenge Trophy and former lady president of the Uganda Ladies Golf Union, she dedicated herself to the growth, development, and elevation of the sport, particularly for women across the region,” Apell stated. 

“As the Uganda Ladies Golf Union and the wider golfing community, we celebrate a life well lived, a life of service, excellence, and impact. We extend our heartfelt condolences to her family and friends.” Burial arrangements were not yet known by Wednesday.