When you set a terrific pace at the start of the race, you must maintain it, lest you lose. That is the story of Cyrus Muwanga, who was inaugurated as Uganda Table Tennis Association (UTTA) president on July 12, 2025. The teacher-cum- education entrepreneur is using his rich social and business network to foster change that might drive table tennis to unprecedented heights.
That aside, Muwanga’s first 120 days in office have scored Uganda has historic successes, especially internationally, picking from where his predecessor Robert Jjagwe left, signaling a seamless transition.
July: ITTF appointment
Barely two weeks in office, Muwanga was appointed to the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) advisory commission as head of the marketing committee.
This followed the adoption of Proposition A-07, submitted by UTTA under Jjagwe which was approved by a two-thirds majority at the ITTF AGM in Doha in May.
The proposal highlighted ‘urgent need for a strategic and collaborative approach to financial growth within the sport, particularly by increasing development funding and elevating marketing efforts.’
Interestingly, in that AGM, Jjagwe backed Khalil Al-Mohannadi, of Qatar against incumbent ITTF president Petra Sorling of Sweden, who edged it 104-102, amidst loud protestation.
But Sorling recognised Jjagwe’s contribution and trusted his successor Muwanga to lead the marketing arm.
At the 2025 Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh, Muwanga called his assignment ‘a win-win for table tennis in Uganda, East Africa and Africa as a whole.’
Muwanga will also be guided by Thomas Kiggundu, an experienced ITTF member.
July: Golden Hopes
Precocious Joseph Sebatindira and Patience Anyango were the first to test action in Lagos, Nigeria where they both won gold at the 2025 World Hopes Week and Challenge in late July. Anyango, the 2024 U-12 Hopes champion, defended her crown ruthlessly, smashing all her four opponents from Zimbabwe, Guinea, Benin and Tunisia 3-0.
Meanwhile, Sebatindira, a multiple U-11 world champion, had a point to prove having lost the 2024 final to Ghanaian Israel Akli. He did it seamlessly, dispatching opponents from Egypt, Namibia, Algeria and South Africa to clinch gold.
These stellar displays earned the Ugandan gems coveted tickets to the 2025 World Hopes Week and Challenge in Sheffield, UK.
July/August: Lagos gold
Uganda’s achievements at the 2025 ITTF African Youth Table Tennis Championships in Lagos, Nigeria from July 27 to August 3 transcended expectations as Uganda reaped gold, silver and three bronze medals in different categories.
Jemimah Nakawala, Anyango and her elder sister Patra Nasirumbi teamed up to win Under-15 girls’ gold. En route to this historic feat, they beat South Africa 3-0, lost to Tunisia 3-2, then beat Namibia 3-0 to finish second in Group 2.
In the semis they upset Algeria 3-2 to book a revenge final against Tunisia. The North Africans started ruthlessly as Ela Said dispatched Anyango 3-0. Nakawala levelled matters with a 3-1 win over Mariam Brahimi but Nasirumbi lost for the first time, 3-1 against Nour Brahimi. Leading 2-1, Tunisia needed just one win to seal the grudge match. But Nakawala said: ‘Hold on.!’ beating Saidi 3-2 to level matters again. At 2-2, the shy 11-year-old Anyango returned to the table for the pulsating decider against Mariam Brahimi. Anyango won the first set 11-7, lost the second 6-11, won the third 11-9, lost the fourth 5-11, but finally clinched the fifth 11-9 to earn Uganda unprecedented gold.
Familiar duo Nakawala and Parvin Nangonzi were smelling gold after ejecting Egyptians Younes Mariam and Elbasoumy Habiba 3-1 in U-19 girls’ doubles semifinal. But another Egyptian pair Malak Abdelshakour and Nour Zaki stopped them 3-0 in the final. Silver was not bad either.
Preteen brothers Sebatindira and Sharif Nsereko got bronze after surrendering the U-15 boys’ doubles semifinal to Egyptians Sameh Asser and Abdelhalim Mohammed 3-1.
Meanwhile, Nsereko, the only Ugandan in the boys’ singles semifinal, fell to Algerian Bilel Zouitene 3-1 and settled for bronze.
In the under 15 mixed doubles, Nakawala and Sebatindira lost at the quarterfinals against Algerians Aylan Goudjil and Tania Morice 3-0, but Nsereko and Anyango got bronze after a narrow 3-2 semifinal loss to Nigerian duo Tobi Adebakin And Aishat Rabiu.
In the ITTF Africa Youth Cup, which followed the Championship at the Sir Molade Okoya Thomas Indoor Sports Hall, Uganda also picked some medals. Nakawala got silver after losing the U15 girls’ singles finals to Algerian Morice Tania 3-1.
But in the boys’ final, silver and gold belonged to Uganda as Sebatindira defeated Nsereko 3-0.
October: London here we come
With Nakasero Club teammate Anyango away in Sheffield at the 2025 ITTF Africa Senior Championships in Tunis, Nangonzi and Nakawala had to adjust to playing with Judith Mirembe from Table Tennis Kids-Uganda, a club from the remote district of Iganga in Eastern Uganda.
Despite failing in the singles, Mirembe would prove the unsung hero in team events, notching vital victories, especially that 3-0 win over Laila Edwards which restored Uganda’s lead against South Africa before Nakawala sealed the Round of 16 tie 3-1.
By reaching the quarterfinals, the teenage trio had already hit the main goal of qualifying for the 2026 World Team Championships in London, the first time in Uganda’s history.
But the girls, guided by 1996 Olympian Paul Mutambuze, went three more steps ahead, including a 3-2 win over hosts Tunisia in the quarterfinals, and beating favourites Nigeria 3-1 in the semis.
Losing the final 3-0 to Egypt was no heartbreak after all silver-Uganda’s first at this level-superseded the bronze they got in Addis Ababa in 2024.
Yet that silver came days after Nakawala and Nangonzi’s historic bronze in the doubles after defeating an overly experienced South African duo in the quarterfinals.
Little wonder, Nakawala was voted the most improved player on the continent following a nearly perfect display.
October: Sheffield gold
The same week Nangonzi and Nakawala shone in Tunis, their younger ‘siblings’ were rewriting history at the World U12 Hopes Challenge in Sheffield.
Anyango, the two-time U12 girls’ champion, missed the podium, finishing eighth among 18. But Sebatindira, once more tormented his four opponents and won yet another global gold. This was a huge upgrade to his performance at the 2024 edition in Asuncion, Paraguay.
The tournament is ITTF’s initiative to identify and groom young talents across the world.
October: Sebatindira Dubai
From Sheffield, Anyango, Sebatindira and their coaches Mary Tendo Balyewunya and Alvin Katumba jetted to the United Arab Emirates for the World Table Tennis Youth Contender Dubai 2025 from October 21-24.
In Group 1, Sebatindira beat Saudi Arabia’s Abdulaziz Abbas and UAE’s Fahed Almehrzi 3-0.
In the quarterfinals, he defeated Egyptian Saif Metawea 3-0. In the semis, he eliminated Iranian Mohammadmehdi Sabzevari 3-1, before defeating another Iranian Nikan Shirvani 3-0 in the final to win another U-11 world title.
Anyango’s journey started at the quarterfinal where she defeated Kuwait’s Aljood Alsinawi 3-0, the same score she got against Canadian Tiffany Zhan in the semis.
She was not as lucky in the final, falling 3-2 to Olesia Ilina in the final-settling for silver, on her WTT debut.
November: first Islamic Games medal
Muwanga played at the inaugural Islamic Games in Mecca, Saudi Arabia in 2005.
Twenty years later, he returned to the desert nation for the Games’ sixth edition, in Riyadh, this time as UTTA boss, dining with fellow ITTF administrators, to chart a table tennis road into the future.
Coincidentally, this was the moment Uganda broke the duck as Nangonzi and Nakawala, once more paired to win bronze in the women’s doubles-Uganda’s first ever table tennis medal at the Games.
Now Muwanga’s challenge is to turn that bronze into plural and gold in subsequent editions.
Uganda Open returns
Of course Muwanga is lucky to have inherited a class of national team players who are used to winning.
But he deserves the flowers for anchoring a smooth and fruitful transition, so far.
There’s, however, an urgent need to elevate the boys’ team to match the girls’ standards. Yet the girls too are still a work in progress.
Muwanga believes that the magic bullet is establishing a vibrant local presence, engaging a larger player pool from across the country.
Hence, the UTTA’s revival of the Uganda Open, which has not been played in years.
The inaugural edition will be hosted at Kabojja International School in Buziga due December 6-8.