By JILL AINEBYOONA
Ms. Peninah Aligaweesa Kabenge is among the outstanding women in sports in the country, because of the awards she has won while representing Makerere University since 1984, both at the national and the international level and the leadership positions she has held.
Kabenge confesses to have enjoyed her stay at the mighty hill from the time she joined in 1984 from Namasagali College up to date. She currently serves as the head of department, Sports and Recreation, a position she has held since 1999.
Peninah Kabenge in Kenya for 10th All Africa University games in 2022
In an interview with The Legacy, she shared that her experience at Makerere, was full of fun and challenging moments.
“When I got admitted to Makerere, I had to do everything possible to get my degree, because my parents sent me for a degree, and there was no way I could go back home without it,” she says.
Ms. Kabenge pursued a Bachelor of Arts in Arts then a postgraduate diploma in education, after which she pursued a master’s degree in Education and Sports Studies.
“When I was graduating, the head of department, Era Mugisa, requested me to stay, due to my talent as a sports person. I think they saw in me an opportunity to improve sports amongst girls,” she says.
While at Makerere, Kabenge participated in almost every sport including football, netball, volleyball, hockey, basketball, taekwondo, and athletics. This saw her win medals for the university, tutor, serve in many leadership positions, sit on various sports committees, and form networks, among other benefits.
However, her journey in sports began before she joined Makerere University, back home in Luweero. It continued to flourish in Namasagali, where Father Damien Grimes made it mandatory for everyone to participate in at least one or two sports.
“I come from a sports family, my dad loved sports so much, he even had a playground at home, where neighbours convened and we played, with my six brothers who had a football team, which I belonged to. While other kids were looking for dolls, for us we were playing soccer, climbing trees,” she adds.
Growing her love for sport
When she was admitted to Makerere, she found a very vibrant sports programme. As a resident of Mary Stuart Hall, she felt the need to defend it during various sports in inter hall competitions. She continued to exhibit great talent in various sports, and was shortlisted to play in different competitions, where she represented Makerere at national, regional and international levels.
“In my first semester, Makerere was invited to participate in East African games in Morogoro, Tanzania, and for one to be considered to be part of the team, you had to be multitasking. Our Tata bus couldn’t take many players due to financial constraints, they would take a smaller number which played multiple games, and surprisingly, we could win some medals,” says Kabenge.
She vividly remembers when they travelled for four days and arrived late for the competitions, but she managed to scoop a silver medal for the 1500 metre race, when she finished second. A friend named Suzan Ssentanda, with whom she played almost every sport also finished second in the hurdles race, though she was very good in hockey that she played since high school at Gayaza High School.
In 1985, Ms. Kabenge missed her first flight to go to Japan to represent the country at the World University Games, since her mother was sick. However, two years later, while in third year, she qualified and represented Uganda at the World University Games in Zagreb, formerly Yugoslavia.
From there, she went to Duisburg, Germany to run 400m, where she was the only female African sprinter who reached semi-finals, alongside other male athletes from Makerere.
“The boys who reached semi-finals included Kiwa Faustine, Meya Andrew, and Moses Twesigomwe, with whom I shared running pants during that stiff competition, to ensure that the medals come to Makerere,” narrates Ms. Kabenge.
“You can’t believe that we shared pants at such an international event, but we knew what we wanted,” she said.
A poster showing Uganda's BasketBall team in 1985, which Ms Kabenge was part of.
After school, she offered training to female students in various sports activities within Makerere and outside, especially at Aga Khan School. She later became the Head of Department, Sports and Recreation in 1999 at Makerere University.
“I gathered girls from Mary Stuart, Africa and Complex halls, and played with them different sports. Many of them showed interest, because they had only lacked motivation, but they were good,” she says. However, some feared to play for fear of developing potatoes [ a term to mean becoming muscular], which would annoy their boyfriends.
“In the sports department, I served with Era Mugisa, Dan Tamwesigyire, Ojuka, and Michael Kajojoba,” she says, adding that she was the only woman in the department. Later, others left and she remained with Era Mugisa, whom she took the reins from, upon his retirement.
Ms. Kabenge says she never had annual leave, because she had to run the sports department alone, teach sports psychology, offer training, and do other assignments.
Dramatic events
Her first assignment as the head of department was to take students to the East African University Games at Egerton University, Kenya. Makerere didn't have the money, but she was convinced that they had to go.
“The then dean of students, John Ekudu borrowed money amounting to 10 million shillings that was meant for renovation of Lumumba Hall and gave it to us, and we took 100 students,” she recalls.
The university didn’t have a bus, so they booked matatus (minivan taxis) to go to Nairobi, but none of them came because it was a festive season. She worked with students who hired taxis that took them to Busia border, from where they got a bus that took the football team, which had a match in the morning. Others waited until matatus came, which took them and they arrived late in the evening. The bus reached on match day. The boys were tired, but they wanted to play and rest at once. Surprisingly, they won 3:0. Makerere became the overall winners of the tournament.
However, for rugby, she took a team of 12 players expecting to play Rugby 7s, only to realise upon arrival that they were playing Rugby 15s, yet she had only 12 players, including substitutes. She included a basketball player, the tennis captain, and a footballer, to make it 15, though the footballer disappointed her.
“Of the extra three, I will never forgive the footballer, because he was briefed how Rugby is played. He had to run with the ball, reach the opponent’s side and touch the ground. But when he entered, he ran with the ball, but he started celebrating instead. Then a Kenyan opponent pushed him down, got the ball and that is how we lost in rugby,” she laments.
After the competitions, they booked a Tawfiq bus to bring them back home, but the company never got them one, until they took the matter to police, and the money was refunded.
After getting another bus, they found a road block along the way, and were warned to be careful about a bank robbery that had happened a few kilometres ahead.
“We met three men with guns, who were chasing suspects. I told the driver to turn the bus, but he reversed it. We got arrested, pulled out and checked. I had a lot of money to facilitate us, which I kept in stockings and the checkers never saw it. Luckily enough, we contacted Egerton University that came to our rescue and gave us its buses that took us up to the border,” she recalls of the dramatic events. The incidents pushed the dean to buy the Dean of Students Bus because of what the team had gone through, she says.
Copy of Peninah Kabenge with Seth Akampa the FISU World University Cross Country Champion in Muscat, Oman on 18th Feb 2024
Ms. Kabenge narrates that while it has not always been easy, she is happy to have made a mark on university sports, where she has managed to improve women participation. Teams like SheMak that play in the FUFA Women Super League and others have been formed. Many female players have also attained leadership positions, like Beatrice Ayikoru, the Secretary General Uganda Athletics Federation, and Hadijah Namanda, the former president of Uganda Volleyball Federation, among others. The Makerere University Sports and Games Union has also given female students an opportunity to become chairpersons, and they have been two so far, including Bridget Umutoni (2017) and Yudaaya Nalubega (2022).
She also prides in playing a significant role in enabling persons with disabilities to get involved in sports.
“We introduced interhall competitions for them, but it never worked out, then we formed a club for them that has seen many representing the country in world Paralympic games, including Reuben Tumusiime, who represented the country in World Archery VI Championships in Birmingham, England in 2023. Grace Masisa, a blind athlete, also represented the country in the 100-400m races, among others.
“Through Makerere, they got a platform to be mentored in leadership,” she adds.
Challenges faced
Ms. Kabenge says Makerere’s sports facilities need a facelift, starting from Impis Rugby Grounds that was last improved in 2007. The main sports grounds also last got a facelift in 2008, when the university won the bid to host All Africa University Games that happened between July 6th -16th. However, the Makerere Indoor Arena under construction is nearing completion. Its construction was delayed because of COVID-19 which stalled funding.
She also shares that interhall competitions are not supported by many hall wardens, since it encroaches on their budget, yet the activity is key in identifying students’ talents in various sports.
She urges the university to revive the games union account, to curb facilitation challenges while preparing for participation in different competitions.
The university also needs to allocate space for Taekwondo training, since there are many volunteers from Korea who are willing to train students, but they don’t have space.
About family
Ms. Kabenge has also worked with her children who are active in sports. These include Dale Ssendagire, who was once a basketball captain at St. Mary’s College Kisubi. Dorothy Nabasirye too has volunteered as a basketball player for Uganda in the Olympics in Korea, and played for Uganda netball team in the World Netball Championship that Makerere hosted in 2018.
Martin Kabenge, her former husband, a Lumumbist whom she met at Makerere in 1987 was not as active as she was but he travelled with her on different assignments whenever there was an opportunity.
Ms. Peninah Kabenge implores girls in active sports and women in leadership to believe in themselves and achieve more in games, because there is nothing male students do that females cannot do.
“Some of us have been there and we know we can, and we are doing it. I have been in elections standing against men, and I have beat many of them,” she adds.
She says that the only difference is that women put themselves up for opportunities only when they are 100% sure that they will deliver, which is not the case with men.
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