Golf, swimming, and smarts shine at annual bankers gala

Consistent performances in golf made a significant impact at the 2025 Annual Bankers Sports Gala, with standout players helping their institutions claim top honours in the discipline.

Samuel Bulenzi, representing Uganda Golf Club, led Stanbic Bank to victory in the men’s category after carding an impressive 42 Stableford points. 

In the women’s category, Patience Musiime of Namulonge Golf Club secured the lead for Bank of Uganda with 34 points. These achievements were part of the second edition of the CEO’s Golf Challenge, held over the weekend at Uganda Golf Club.

In swimming, Ecobank topped the men’s butterfly contest, followed by DFCU and Standard Chartered Bank. In the women’s butterfly category, Bank of Uganda emerged first, with Ecobank and DFCU taking second and third place respectively. The relay races saw DFCU claim first position, ahead of Bank of Uganda and Ecobank.

A new addition to this year’s gala was the quiz challenge, where DFCU emerged victorious, followed by Finance Trust Bank and Bank of Uganda in third place.

The gala officially kicked off on September 5 with a 5km run, launching a month-long fitness challenge that encouraged participants to walk 5,000 steps daily.

A total of 600 participants completed the challenge, which drew entries from 29 member banks.

The Annual Bankers Sports Gala features a mix of indoor and outdoor games, promoting wellness, camaraderie, and talent across the financial sector. During the launch, Phillip Wabulya, Executive Director for Risk and Strategy at Bank of Uganda—representing Governor Dr. Michael Atingi-Ego—commended the participating banks and emphasized five key benefits of the gala: physical fitness, networking, showcasing sports talent, building goodwill among institutions and customers, and mental rejuvenation. He encouraged member banks to promote sports for the masses and urged financial institutions to reinvest in sports by forming clubs in various disciplines, including football, as was common in the past.

This year’s gala, which concludes on October 19, features participation from a wide array of institutions including Bank of Uganda, ABD Capital Bank, ABSA Bank, Bank of Baroda, Cairo Bank, Centenary Bank, Diamond Trust Bank, DFCU Bank, Equity Bank, Ecobank, Exim Bank, Finance Trust Bank, Financial Intelligence Authority, FINCA MDI, GT Bank, Housing Finance Bank, I&M Bank, KCB Bank, NCBA, Postbank, Tropical Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, Stanbic Bank, United Bank for Africa, Uganda Development Bank, and UGAFODE MDI.