By Isaac Akugizibwe

KIU, Main Campus - The office of the Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Kampala International University (KIU) has awarded 40 full scholarships to outstanding students across various sporting disciplines at both the Main and Western Campuses. This offer comes as the university continues to provide half-bursaries to all eligible students at both postgraduate and undergraduate levels.

Of the 40 sports scholarships, 20 have been approved for the January/February 2025 intake. The other 20 have been reserved for the August 2025 intake. All sporting disciplines have beneficiaries, including basketball, volleyball, netball, athletics, woodball, beach soccer, football, chess, and lawn tennis.

“We are very grateful to the Chairman and the whole Board of Trustees for this kind of generosity. Thank you for empowering the sports department and helping very talented young men and women access education despite their humble backgrounds,” said Annet Kabasindi, the KIU Sports Officer, upon confirmation of the awards.

According to Kabasindi, the January intake brings the total number of beneficiaries of the KIU Sports Scholarship Scheme to 504 in the university’s 25-year history.

“I am one of those who have benefited from this scholarship scheme. All our coaches were once part of this scholarship scheme,” she said.

“We are very confident that we will do better than last year in all sporting disciplines. Both our athletes and coaches are more motivated than ever. We also have plenty of new and fresh talent on board,” she added.

In addition to helping athletes achieve an education while participating in various sports, KIU has been committed to nurturing athletes into well-rounded individuals. Many have advanced to coach their respective sports or take on leadership roles in sports federations in Uganda and beyond.

Kabasindi, a member and coach at the Uganda Athletics Federation, is a prime example. Her subordinates, Julius Lutwama, the KIU Basketball head coach, and Geoffrey Akabwai, the soccer coach, have recently been appointed Assistant Coach for the Uganda Women’s Basketball National Team and Chief Regional Instructor for Beach Soccer, respectively.

Jude Mutate, the Head Coach of the KIU Table Tennis team, was once the head coach of the Uganda National Table Tennis Team while woodball head coach Julius Agaba is a member of the Uganda Woodball Federation.

“Most of our alumni are now involved in federations across Uganda. We have former stars from woodball, athletics, beach soccer, basketball, karate, table tennis, and netball federations in Uganda and other countries in East Africa,” Kabasindi affirmed.

“These athletes have played a significant role, especially in marketing our university. We have participated in almost every tournament, from national to world stages, carrying the KIU flag,” she added.

Due to its ability to attract and nurture highly skilled and talented athletes, KIU has always been a formidable competitor in the Uganda University Games, Eastern Africa University Games, All Africa Games, and World University Games.

After an outstanding performance at the 2024 Eastern Africa Games at Maseno University in Kenya last December, three KIU athletes will be competing in the World University Games in Germany later this year.

However, it should be noted that candidates must meet both academic and athletic requirements and demonstrate commitment to their sport to qualify for the KIU Sports Scholarship.

Candidates for the sports scholarship are first admitted like all other students. Before being called up for trials, they must meet the minimum academic standards for admission to the university, in addition to having an outstanding athletic performance. They must also demonstrate discipline, high motivation, and excellent knowledge of their chosen sport.