Kumi schools’ competitions 2025 kick off with record turnout
The four-day event has attracted 700 students from 35 boys’ and girls’ teams and will run from March 13th to 16th.
Kumi schools’ competitions 2025 kick off with record turnout
By Gabriel Esiku
Journalists @New Vision
The 2025 Kumi District Secondary Schools’ Competitions kicked off on Thursday, March 13th, at the Soroti Bishop Maraka College grounds.
The four-day event has attracted 700 students from 35 boys’ and girls’ teams and will run from March 13th to 16th. The first games began at 12:00 PM on Thursday following the official opening ceremony, after a successful screening exercise for all participating teams.
Simon Ikabot, Chairperson of the Kumi District Secondary Schools’ Sports Association, revealed that eight playing grounds are being utilized for the tournament.
“This championship is aimed at selecting three boys’ and four girls’ teams to represent Kumi in the upcoming zonal qualifiers, which will also be hosted at Bishop Maraka College and Wiggins Secondary School in Kumi Municipal,” Ikabot explained.
John Bosco Omugen, a representative from the Kumi Municipal Office, officiated the launch of the competition and urged players to prioritize discipline as a core value for success in sports.
“I strongly encourage each of you to uphold discipline at all times. A championship without discipline rarely achieves success,” he emphasized.
Omugen also reminded the players to value education alongside sports. “While football is important, it should go hand in hand with education. The two complement each other,” he added.
The schools participating in the Kumi District qualifiers include Mukongoro Peas, Bishop Maraka College, Kanyumu Comprehensive, Starlight Secondary School, Nyero Rock, Atutur Seed School, Bishop Ilukor Girls’ Secondary School, Mukongoro High School, Kabweele Community School, Dr. Aporu Memorial, Wiggins Secondary School, and Agaitha Community.
Last year’s tournament was hosted by Nyero Rock High School in Kumi Municipality, where St. Wiggins Secondary School emerged as champions in the boys’ category, while Nyero Rock High School took the top spot in the girls’ category.
Leonard Okurut, the Technical Chairperson, noted a significant increase in the number of schools participating in this year’s qualifiers compared to previous years.
“This year alone, we have 35 schools presenting athletes for both boys’ and girls’ football, compared to the previous years when we registered only 20 schools annually. This demonstrates the growing interest among schools in identifying and nurturing talent among students,” Okurut stated.