Kampala Old Boys (KOBs) Rugby Club have officially launched the Kitaka 10s tournament to headline their ongoing sixty-year anniversary celebrations.
The tournament will be played from September 30 to October 1 at Legends Rugby Grounds in memory of former chairperson and patron Edward Kitaka.
This is a remodel of a 10s tournament the legendary club hosted in 2006 and 2007 as an Easter holiday family festival rugby event. KOBs also host the Kitaka Memorial 7s during the national 7s series.
Sixteen men’s teams and five women’s teams will compete in the remodelled 10s tournament, including three teams from the East African community.
Men’s Pools for Kitaka 10s 2023 tournament:
- Pool A: KOBs, Impis, Rams, Warriors.
- Pool B: Heathens, Mongers, Walukuba, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
- Pool C: Pirates, Rhinos, Busia Border Rucks (Kenya), Boks.
- Pool D: Nondescripts (Kenya), Buffaloes, Hippos, Sailors*.
*Kyambogo withdrew from the tournament and were replaced by Sailors in Pool D.
Women’s Pool for Kitaka 10s 2023 tournament:
- Panthers, Black Pearls, Avengers, Ewes, Thunderbirds.
The winners from the respective competitions will receive prize money of up to UGX 5 million for the teams and UGX 600,000 for the individuals. The men’s cup winner will take home UGX 3 million and the runners-up will bag UGX 1 million. For the women, the winner collect UGX 1 million.
Each of the men’s and women’s MVPs, top try scorers, and top points scorers will receive UGX 200,000 for their individual exploits.
Who was Edward Kitaka?
Like many sports personalities in the olden days, Edward Kitaka’s rugby career is not well-documented. However, recollections, records, and memories from family and peers reveal some anecdotes.
Kitaka went to Makerere College School (MACOS) in the late 1970s before joining Makerere University to study Economics & Political Science from 1980-83. It is at Makerere University that he is believed to have started playing rugby since the game was not played at MACOS.
read more about Edward Kitaka
He played rugby with the Makerere Impis University team and after that, KOBs in the early 1990s. He also featured for tour sides from Uganda in tournaments like the Enterprise Cup in Kenya before Uganda officially became a test nation in 1997.
In his post-playing rugby career, Kitaka embarked on sports administration and spreading the game to new communities. By the time of his untimely passing in 2005 aged just forty-five, Kitaka had served as chairperson and patron of KOBs Rugby Club.
