Uganda’s Bombers are set to return from Nairobi with 13 medals after a strong showing at the 2026 African Boxing Elite Men’s and Women’s Championships, finishing third overall on Thursday.
The team collected four gold medals, one silver and eight bronze medals at the Moi International Sports Centre (MISC) Indoor Arena in Nairobi, Kenya, with both the men and women contributing to the haul.
The men won three gold medals, one silver and three bronze medals, while the women claimed one gold and five bronze medals.
Kassim Mulungi, Samuel Nsubuga, popularly known as Lwasa, Alfred Ojok and Vanessa Nagawa led Uganda’s charge with gold medals, but the campaign also had a disappointing moment when Aziz Abdul Ringo lost his silver medal following a decision in the men’s 90kg final.
Ringo had initially been awarded silver after his final against Egypt’s Mohamed Hossen ended in his disqualification for an illegal blow. However, according to the results read out at the championships, even the silver medal was later stripped from him, awaiting the confirmation.
Despite that setback, Uganda finished third in the overall standings behind hosts Kenya and Algeria, who each won 14 medals. Kenya was declared the overall winner because it had more silver medals than Algeria.
Mulungi secured gold after defeating Angola’s Daniel Makaya in the final, while Nsubuga produced an emphatic performance to beat Rwanda’s Valentin Ntabanganyimana 5-0 in the men’s 55kg final.
Alfred Ojok was another finalist for Uganda, winning gold after the referee stopped a contest due to a cut to Egypt’s Omar Elawady in the middleweight 71kg final. The cut was reviewed to have come from Ojok’s punch.
Nagawa completed Uganda’s gold-medal collection in the women’s competition, winning the 57kg final against Lesotho’s Rapelang Maselela by referee-stopped contest (RSC).
The Bombers also collected eight bronze medals through Arafat Kibirige, Emmanuel Tabula, Richard Kasujja, Brenda Muduwa, Erina Namutebi, Rashida Nakawooza, Diana Atwine and Peninah Amoding.
Tabula narrowly missed a place in the final after losing 3-2 to Kenya’s Clinton Machena in the semifinals.
Kibirige lost to Angola’s Moses Chiangulula in the semifinal before Kasujja also fell at the semifinal stage, losing to Algeria’s Mustapha Abdou.
In the women’s competition, Muduwa suffered a 5-0 semifinal defeat to Kenya’s Veronica Mbithe but still secured bronze. Namutebi, who secured Silver in the previous edition, lured when she claimed bronze this time, while Nakawooza and Amoding completed the women’s medal tally after losing their respective semifinals to opponents from Kenya and Algeria.
The results gave the women a significant contribution to Uganda’s overall performance, with their five medals complementing the men’s six.
Uganda travelled to Nairobi with 18 boxers, 10 men and eight women, alongside three coaches, two referees and five officials.
Head coach Lawrence Kalyango led the team, with Ukasha Matovu serving as the men’s captain and Diana Atwine leading the women. Uganda Boxing Federation organising secretary Ibrahim Sekiziyivu headed the delegation.
The championships brought together elite male and female boxers from across Africa, providing Uganda with a test of its strength against the continent’s leading fighters and an opportunity to collect Olympic points for LA 2028.
While the controversy surrounding Ringo’s medal cast a shadow over the final tally, the Bombers still finished on the podium.