They have earned their place on the national stage the hard way, through grit, practice, and a level of commitment that puts many better-resourced programs to shame. But as Kamuli Girls Boarding School’s netball team prepares to travel to Mubende for next week’s national netball competition, a familiar and deeply frustrating obstacle is standing between them and their moment: they do not have what they need to show up properly equipped.
The team held a flag-off ceremony this week ahead of the national competition, an event that brought their situation into sharp public focus. Their need for playing attire, equipment, and other basic necessities has become an urgent conversation, one that local officials, parents, and community members can no longer afford to ignore.
A Send-Off With a Serious Message Attached
The flag-off was graced by Mastula Namatovu, a Kamuli municipal legislator and notably, an Old Girl of the school. Her presence was more than ceremonial. Namatovu used the occasion to speak candidly about what she sees as a chronic failure to invest in sports at the grassroots level in the area.
According to NTV Uganda’s coverage of the event, Namatovu made a direct appeal to the Kamuli municipal council to allocate funds specifically toward sports development in the municipality. It was not a vague call for support. It was a targeted request, grounded in the reality that a school team heading to a national competition should not be scrambling for basic gear days before departure.
Her dual identity as both a lawmaker and an alumna of the school gave her words added weight. This is not a politician performing concern from a distance. This is someone with a personal connection to the institution and, presumably, a clear-eyed understanding of what these girls need to succeed beyond its gates.
Why Sports Funding in Schools Keeps Falling Through the Cracks
The situation at Kamuli Girls is not unique. Across Uganda, school sports programs consistently operate on the thinnest of margins. Academic budgets, infrastructure needs, and staffing demands tend to absorb available funds long before sports gear gets a line item. The result is a pattern that repeats itself every competition season: talented young athletes qualify for prestigious events and then have to beg, borrow, or fundraise their way to the starting line.
Netball in particular occupies a complicated space in Ugandan sports culture. The national women’s team, the She Cranes, has drawn genuine pride and international attention over the years, yet that visibility rarely translates into consistent investment at the school level where future She Cranes are actually being developed. The pipeline matters, and right now, parts of that pipeline are running on goodwill alone.
For a school like Kamuli Girls, which has clearly invested time and coaching into building a team competitive enough to reach nationals, the gap between achievement and adequate support is jarring. Qualifying for a national competition is not a small thing. It is the product of months of training, coordination, and sacrifice, often from coaches working with minimal resources and players who show up anyway.
What the Community Can Do Right Now
Namatovu’s appeal to the municipal council is the right instinct, but institutional responses move slowly and nationals are next week. In the short term, the call is really going out to businesses, alumni networks, sports associations, and individuals in and around Kamuli who can move faster than any council budget process.
Sponsoring a school sports team does not require a corporate budget. Kitting out a netball squad, covering transport costs, or simply ensuring the girls have proper training attire and footwear are contributions that sit within reach of many local businesses or community groups. The return on that investment, in visibility, goodwill, and genuine community pride, is considerable.
The Kamuli Girls team is ready to compete. They have done their part. The question now is whether the community around them will match that energy before the tournament begins in Mubende.
A Broader Conversation Worth Having
Beyond the immediate needs of this particular team, the flag-off moment at Kamuli Girls opens up a question that Uganda’s education and sports sectors need to sit with seriously. If schools are expected to produce athletes capable of competing nationally and eventually internationally, what is the minimum level of support those institutions should be guaranteed?
Right now, the answer seems to be: whatever they can scrape together themselves. That is not a strategy. It is a gap in policy dressed up as self-reliance.
Namatovu’s call for dedicated sports funding at the municipal level is a small but meaningful step toward changing that. If taken seriously, it could set a precedent that other municipalities follow. Sports budgets in local government do not have to be afterthoughts. They can be deliberate investments in youth development, community identity, and the kind of national pride that rallies around a team competing on the biggest stages the country has to offer.
For now, the Kamuli Girls netball team is heading to Mubende. They deserve a full kit, a crowd behind them, and a system that does not make competing feel like an act of survival. Will the people of Kamuli municipality make sure they have at least one of those things before they step onto the court?
