Parliament honours Uganda’s aquatics champions, calls for more swimming pools

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Parliament has recognised Uganda’s national aquatics team following its triumph at the 11th Africa Aquatics Zone 3 Championships, with legislators calling for increased investment in sports infrastructure and funding to sustain the country’s success.

The team, comprising 114 members, was presented to the House on Thursday (October 29) after emerging overall champions at the October 21 to 25 competition hosted in Uganda. The athletes won medals in swimming, open-water swimming and water polo.

Presenting a statement to Parliament, Kibale County MP and chairperson of the Committee on Education and Sports, Eng. Cuthbert Abigaba, said the achievement demonstrated Uganda’s growing strength in aquatics and deserved formal recognition by the country’s leadership.

“I stand before this August House today with immense pride to present the remarkable, historic and dominant performance of our national aquatics team, which has once again flown the Uganda flag high on the continental stage,” Abigaba said.

The championships attracted more than 400 athletes from eight countries: Burundi, Djibouti, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania and host Uganda.

Abigaba said the team’s victory reflected sustained improvement in Ugandan aquatics, citing previous international achievements by Ugandan swimmers. He highlighted Husnah Kukundakwe’s silver medal at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and Gloria Ann Muzito’s silver medal at the 2025 Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The committee chairperson also thanked Parliament for providing buses and coaster vehicles to transport athletes during the championships. He asked Parliament to formally congratulate and honour the team for its performance and for keeping Uganda at the top of regional aquatics for four consecutive years.

Sports state minister Peter Ogwang congratulated the athletes but said Uganda needed to invest more in specialised infrastructure to sustain and improve its performance.

Ogwang said swimming required properly designed and regulated facilities rather than reliance on the country’s many natural water bodies.

“Swimming is no shortcut for aquatics. It is about water. While we have many water bodies in the country, in terms of the sport, if we are to really excel, we must be deliberate,” Ogwang said.

He called for the construction of more swimming pools across the country, arguing that the available facilities were insufficient to nurture talent and prepare athletes for international competition.

Ogwang cited the Olympic-standard swimming pool at Akii-Bua Stadium but said one facility could not serve the whole of northern Uganda. He proposed expanding access to swimming facilities in northern, eastern and western Uganda to widen participation and improve competitiveness.

The minister also called for funding to implement provisions of the Sports Act relating to the recognition and rewarding of outstanding sportsmen and women. He said the government needed to provide resources to recognise athletes who bring honour to the country.

“If I had money in the Sports Act, I would demand the authority of the law to support them and appreciate their efforts for the Republic of Uganda,” Ogwang said.

He added that he intended to bring a formal motion before Parliament to recognise athletes who had excelled in different sporting disciplines.

Boniface Okot, chairperson of Parliament’s Committee on Tourism, Trade and Industry, said Uganda should look beyond medals and consider sports as a potential source of revenue, employment and tourism.

Okot congratulated the aquatics team, saying its performance deserved recognition, particularly as many national teams travel abroad to compete without returning with trophies. He argued that sports could help Uganda diversify its revenue sources while promoting national unity.

“Sports does contribute to our revenue pool, but it is also one of the easiest tools for uniting Ugandans,” Okot said.

He cited the enthusiasm surrounding Uganda Cranes matches, saying sports brought people together regardless of their ethnic, religious or social backgrounds.

With the next budget cycle approaching, Okot urged the government to allocate more resources to sports, arguing that the country should invest in sectors where it has a comparative advantage.

MPs also called for wider access to sports facilities and equipment, particularly in rural communities, to ensure talented children are identified and nurtured early.

Moyo district woman MP Bernadette Chandia congratulated the athletes for not merely participating in the competition but dominating it. She also recognised parents, particularly the mothers and fathers of swimmers, for supporting young athletes.

Chandia said sports could help address unemployment by creating opportunities for young people, adding that Uganda had demonstrated its potential in several disciplines.

Joseph Ssewungu urged the Ministry of Education and Sports to extend sports programmes to all districts, including rural and underserved communities.

Ssewungu said talent was often developed in villages, but children lacked the facilities and equipment needed to compete at higher levels. He called for sports equipment to be provided to schools and sub-counties, arguing that access to facilities should not be limited to children attending well-resourced schools.

He also reminded the government that passing sports legislation was not enough without providing the funding needed to implement it.