Justus Mugisha: USSSA president’s key points during inaugural address prior to 2026 season

School sport is the bed rock of sports not only in Uganda, but elsewhere in East Africa, across Africa and everywhere in the world.

Justus Mugisha, the President of the Uganda Secondary Schools Sports Association (USSSA) addressed the media about the upcoming action packed season at the GNS Plaza on Wednesday, 4th February 2026.

The vastly experienced sports administrator boldly outlined a clear, forward-looking vision for school sports, emphasizing digital transformation, improved standards of competition, institutional leadership, local as well as international competitions and structured athlete development.

He was flanked by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Chris Mugisha Banage and other members of the USSSA secretariat.

Digitalization (Online registration portal):

He hinted that USSSA continues to strengthen its digital operations to enhance efficiency, transparency, and accountability.

 The online registration system officially opened on 31st October 2025 and will close on 27th March 2026.

As part of these reforms, a UGX 10,000 transfer charge per athlete has been introduced to streamline player movements and maintain accurate records.

In addition, the Competition Management System (CMS) has been rolled out for Netball, Football, Basketball, Volleyball, and Basketball to ensure better management of fixtures, results, and athlete data across competitions.

Games hosts vis-à-vis standard of infrastructure:

While the hosting of USSSA games remains rotational, priority has always been placed on schools with world-class facilities or schools willing to collaborate with the association to raise standards of existing facilities.

This shift aligns with the high standards USSSA has set, particularly as several competitions are now televised.

Host schools must therefore meet the required benchmarks to maintain the image school sports.

In line with long-term infrastructure development, the President revealed that USSSA is in the final stages of acquiring land that will serve as the Association’s home.

The planned facilities will include pitches, and other essential sports infrastructure which could host a championship of at least 2000 athletes.

Governance (leadership & electoral road map)

Reflecting on governance, the president noted that he was elected into office in 2022, with the current four-year term concluding this year.

During the Annual General Meeting (AGM), a Returning Officer was duly appointed, paving the way for elections that will be conducted from district level to national level, in full compliance with the USSSA Constitution and Electoral Regulations.

Athletics reforms and athlete pathways:

Significant reforms have been introduced into the golden sport of athletics to ensure better planning and athlete development.

The season will feature two athletics meets:

• First meet: February – March
• Second meet: April – May
• These will be followed by a national training camp in May.
  The qualification pathway has also been clearly structured:
• District qualifiers: May
• Zonal qualifiers: June
• National Championships: July
• This will then be followed by a residential camp in July to prepare athletes for the FEASSA Games, ensuring competitive readiness later in August in Morogoro, Tanzania.

International competitions:

USSSA will represent Uganda in six international championships this year, as we continue to give our kids exposure at a very young age.

The championships coming up entail:

• Handball – North Macedonia
• Basketball – Serbia
• Football and Volleyball – People’s Republic of China
• Golf – Morocco
• Gymnasiade – Host country to be confirmed

USSSA Elite Games:

The USSSA Elite Games will be hosted at Janan Secondary School, Bombo.

The President confirmed that final inspections will be held, expressing confidence in the school’s capacity to deliver a high-quality event in line with USSSA standards come 26th February -1st March 2026.

New sports disciplines:

In a bid to maintain ‘mass sports’ which refers to having as many kids participating in the competitions, USSSA has introduced several new disciplines as baseball and softball, golf, cricket, Kabaddi, Kho Kho and Pickleball.

• Baseball: Softball and Baseball 5 (Boys & Girls)
• Demonstration sports:
  • Cricket (Boys & Girls), Golf (Boys & Girls), Kabaddi (Boys & Girls), Kho Kho (Boys & Girls)
  • Pickleball (Boys & Girls)