Ugandan swimmers march on at Africa Aquatics Championship
During the opening ceremony the same evening, the Africa Aquatics Region 3 president, Donald Rukare, welcomed the swimmers and officials from the seven participating countries
Some of the medalists from the opening round pose with their medals alongside UA president Moses Mwase at KISU. Photo by Michael Nsubuga
Ugandan swimmers continued to prove their regional dominance by collecting more gold medals on the second day of the 11th Africa Aquatics Zone 3 Swimming Championship at the Kampala International School of Uganda (KISU) pool on Thursday.
After collecting more than 11 gold medals on the opening day of the championship in the elite category and many others from the masters’ swimmers, Uganda closed day two with more gold when 14-year-old Gabriella Eleanor Ndyanabo added another gold in the 800m race, coming first in 9:57.88 ahead of Tanzania’s Nicolene Viljoen (10:12.76) and Shivon Nagginda (10:33.21).
In the boys’ category in the same age group, it was Tanzania’s Max Missokia who took the honours in 9:21.78, beating Kenya’s duo of Lawrence Okumu (9:47.04) and Harith Muses (9:51.16), before Uganda’s Theresa Kikambi picked silver in the girls’ 15&over in a PB of 10:32.00 behind Kenyan Victoria Okumu (9:52.13) who took the gold, with Rwandan Keza Kalisa (11:55.04) taking the bronze in the 32-lap race over the short course.
Africa Aquatics Region 3 president Donald Rukare (2nd left) addresses participants falnked by Uganda Aquatics president Moses Mwase (left) and some regional officila during the opening ceremony at KISU. Photo Michael Nsubuga
The top swimmers in the boys’ 15&over category were Tanzanians Mark Tibazarwa (9:14.94) and Julius Missokia (9:12.71), and Rwandan Christian Byiringiro (9:34.58).
During the opening ceremony the same evening, the Africa Aquatics Region 3 president, Donald Rukare, welcomed the swimmers and officials from the seven participating countries: Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, and Rwanda, and the hosts, Uganda and wished them the best as they compete in both senior, junior, and masters in swimming, open water, and water polo.
“But above all, may you make friendships and lasting memories. We hope that you find this event very useful for your development and future plans as you prepare for the upcoming international events,” Rukare said.
He advised the swimmers to work hard, swim hard, listen to their coaches, rest, and do the right things so that they can become like Para swimmer Husnah Kukudankwe, who won silver at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
“So, on behalf of the Zone, we wish you all the best, and I would like to thank all the sponsors and the partners who have made this possible through Uganda Aquatics.”
Uganda Aquatics president Moses Mwase also welcomed the visiting teams and told them they were not merely here to compete but also to strengthen the bonds that unite us as Africans and as the zone, inspire our young athletes, and celebrate our masters’ swimmers.
One of the swimming fans cheer on the Ugandan swimmers at KISU, October 21, 2026. Photo by Michael Nsubuga
“I should emphasise that these Championships are not just a series of sporting competitions that we've been doing for the last 10 editions; they also represent our collective commitment to developing aquatics, and the emphasis has been on swimming,” Mwase noted.
He urged parents to get involved in other aquatic disciplines like water polo and open water swimming to ensure ‘there's clarity in terms of how we can expand the horizon’.
“So, over the coming days, we shall witness determination of our athletes in the pool, on the open waters, with our volunteers offering support and everybody coming together to ensure that we celebrate our sport, work together, and deliver on this mandate.”