Uganda Cycling Association president Sam ‘Mahaba’ Muwonge spent the last week of September watching the 2025 UCI Road World Championships in Kigali and could not stop imagining such a marvel happening in Kampala.
‘What’s happening in Ugandan cycling is encouraging. Being in the World Championship when we didn’t qualify is special,’ said an excited Muwonge as 100 Ugandan cyclists were flagged off for the Jubilee Live Free Race in Nairobi last weekend.
‘Mrs Byaruhanga said this is the third time Jubilee Insurance is sponsoring a Ugandan team for the Nairobi race. It’s a great job they are doing. But I request that instead of Nairobi, let’s have this race in Kampala. Like Kigali gazetted all the roads for the world event, we can have it in Kampala as well,’ Muwonge said.
Of course this is a multi-sectoral, multi-departmental decision to make if such an important event is to happen here.
Feasibility
But how feasible is it? Are the sponsors willing?
‘We are in talks with Jubilee, our main sponsors, to have particular events here in Uganda. And very soon we shall come out with the plans. Hopefully, very soon we shall announce the event to be organised here,’ said Lance Ismael Ssebayiga, director Moonlight Events, who are the Ugandan coordinators of the race.
But the sponsor thinks the journey is still long.
‘This is the second year in a row we are hearing this suggestion and we’re in talks with Moonlight and the cycling association,’ Jubilee marketing and communications manager Camilla Mindru told Daily Monitor.
‘But we needed to build capacity and have a solid ground to start this conversation. We need more organised clubs like Masaka Cycling Club, which has strong structures: a president, a funding source, a medical team and a technical team, etc.’
She said that would give Uganda more chances to win the race once it’s hosted here.
Meanwhile, Mindru added that even as more people enter the Nairobi race every year, the event happens successfully.
‘That means there’s a certain standard they have set and a skillset we need to tap into if we are to organise an equally successful race here,’ Mindru said.
Nairobi conquest
The 2025 Jubilee Nairobi Race last Sunday attracted thousands of cyclists from 20 nationalities. Uganda’s Jordan ‘Schleck’ Ssekanwagi raced to gold in the 75km main race in 1 hour, 30 minutes and 39 seconds, while 2024 Olympian Charles Kagimu came second, just a second later to take silver. Kenya’s John Muchiri came third in 1:33:50.
The duo are slowly writing a story of Uganda’s growing dominance of the race. Ssekanwagi won the inaugural edition in 2019, while Kagimu was the champion last year.
Ethiopia’s Merhamit Hadush won the women’s 75km race in 1:38:25, Uganda’s Maria Aleper took silver in 1:48:55 as Kenya’s Jamila Abdula got bronze in 1:47:28.
Willy Kato and Dominik Mugonda got gold and silver respectively in the Black Mamba category, while defending champion Aziz Ssempijja settled for bronze.
Muwonge wonders how much Ugandans can achieve if they are the hosts.