Uganda Aquatics holds first Open Water Swimming Championships in Entebbe

Benjamin Lutaaya of Gators Swim Club aims to match his strong performance from the first Uganda Aquatics National Open Water Swimming Championships at the 11th CANA Zone 3 Swimming Championship.

Uganda will host the event at the Kampala International School of Uganda from October 21 to 24.

Lutaaya was one of the top swimmers in the 16&over boys’ category, coming second over the 5km distance in 1:08:11:08 behind Sailfish Swim Club’s Arthur Mwase, who won the race in 1:07:42:76, as the event debuted at the Entebbe Sailing Club on Saturday.

Lutaaya will be one of the swimmers who will compete in the regional event alongside Aquatic’s Michael Mukiibi, Makerere University’s Jason Lukyamuzi, Brian Magoba, Jovans Kalule, and Jovin Benedict, who also tested the Lake Victoria waves.

“It was a really good experience. The weather conditions were very good. The organisation was very good. I hope that we can do this better next time and more people can come and compete during the regional event,” Lutaaya said.

Arthur Mwase (left) and Benjamin Lutaaya compete in the 5km race during the first Open water championship at the Entebbe Sailing Club, October 10, 2026. Photo by Michael Nsubuga

“I expect a slightly more organised event, but a high level of competition because more people from around the region are coming. And I expect it just to be a very good and fun event.

“The last open water competition we did was in Mombasa. I finished fifth in my age group, over the 5km but I'm hoping to perform much better than I did today,” Lutaaya stated.

Mwase, who will not compete in the open water during the CANA event said he enjoyed the open water experience.

“It is the first time I've had open water in Uganda. So, it was a new thing, but I enjoyed it. I had fun. I had a bit of trouble looking for the buoys at the turns, but after one lap we got the hang of it and we swam a bit earlier, so there were not as many waves,” Mwase noted.

The top three swimmers in the 15&under girls over the 3km distance included Daniela Munguci (38:06:50) who came first ahead of Jaguar’s Shivon Nagginda (38:19:51) and Altona’s Paula Nabukeera (39:09:85). The best boys over the same distance were Gators’ Aiden Immelman Akubu (36:45:98), William Sanford (37:47:60) and Jayson Ampaire Aronda (38:32:02).

Altona’s Sonia Mwere (1:49:55:76) and Blessing Kaitesi (1:58:09:32) as well as Makerere University’s America Busingye (2:12:34:64) were the best girls in the 16&over girls’ category.

The masters’ swimmers were also ably represented over the 1.5km distance, with Malta’s Natasha Nagadya, Formidables Linda Namayanja, Amos Bakka, and Gators Jeroline Akubu, Gabriel Baruga Nyangabyaki, and Peter Ssebanakitta topping their respective categories.

Uganda Police Marines dominated the special needs category with Denis Ojok (38:24:74), Clinton Tukwasiibwe (38:41:05) and Peter Opio (40:38:30) standing out over the 1.5km.

Uganda Aquatics president Moses Mwase said it was a great event. One of the most important things is that this has been a preparatory event for our Zone 3 Championships, which will happen on October 25 here. We're expecting participation from other countries around the region: Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia, Sudan, and others,” Mwase said.

“So, it's also been a learning curve for us. We have not had any incidents. We have had to ensure that the water was tested first by the Ministry of Water and Environment. And they gave us certificates that confirmed that it was a safe place to swim.

“But aside from that, we had help from the UPDF Marine and Police Marine that have been very supportive by providing rescue boats and water ambulances to ensure safety in the event that there were issues. We expect that the next event that we will host on the 25th will be much better,” Mwase stated.

He noted that during the Zone 3 Championships, Africa Aquatics, they will need to have more kayakers. He was impressed by the Police Marines team, which won the overall championship trophy.

“We'll need to have stronger boys because our boys were a little bit light. Police Marines have got a very strong team, as you saw. So yes, this was a qualifying event. We will be having conversations with police to make sure that their athletes can be availed for the regional event.” “And we would love for the police to first of all become affiliated with Uganda Aquatics and continue to participate in this event.”

Team scores

1 Altona 125pts

2 Gators Swim Club 106

3 Makerere University 58

4 Sailfish Swim Club 20

5 Jaguar Swim Club 17

6 Aquatic Academy 16

Masters Championships

1 Uganda Police 201pts

2 Formidables Swim Club 127

3 Kampala Quality Marlins 67

4 Uganda Civil Aviation Authority 53

5 Gators Swim Club 40

6 Malta Swim Club 20

7 Aquatics Academy 20

8 Sailfish Swim Club 14

9 Special Olympics Team 7