Uganda’s beach volleyball teams are targeting a podium finish on home sand as they take on regional rivals at the 2026 CAVB Zone V Beach Volleyball Tour at Bunjako Beach in Buwama.
The Entebbe Tour, running from October 22 to 26 on the shores of Lake Victoria, gives Uganda a chance to improve on last year’s showing in Burundi, where the women won bronze, and the men reached the quarterfinals.
With home support behind them, the hosts will be hoping to turn that experience into a stronger medal haul while giving their young players valuable exposure to international competition.
Head coach Edward Bwenje says developing the next generation remains just as important as winning medals.
“The target is to develop the young ones to a level of competition as a country. We are hoping it always comes back to develop more,” Bwenje said.
Uganda have been training at Aero Beach in Entebbe ahead of the tournament, with experienced players expected to lead the challenge.
Women’s pair Eunice Amuron and Margrete Namyalo headline the home campaign, while Claire Najjuko and Purity Nalua Nekesa will also represent the country after teaming up for the first time.
In the men’s competition, Aziizi Busingye and Luc Florent Kimararungu will lead one of Uganda’s challenges, while John Baptist Ogire and Isaac Ogusul form the other pair. Ogire and Ogusul will be coached by Bwenje, assisted by Shamim Makongoro.
Amuron has called on volleyball fans to turn up at Bunjako Beach and give the teams the backing they need to fight for medals.
“We call upon you to come support us and rally behind us, the volleyball lovers wherever you are in the country. We are looking for a podium finish. Come push us,” she said.
Uganda face tough group tests
The tournament has attracted 11 nations: Burundi, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Tanzania.
In the women’s competition, Uganda’s two pairs have been drawn into separate pools.
Najjuko and Nalua, listed as Uganda 1, are in Pool A alongside South Sudan, Kenya 2 and Burundi 2. Namyalo and Amuron, Uganda 2, are in Pool B with Burundi 1, Kenya 3 and Kenya 1.
Najjuko and Nalua opened their scheduled pool campaign against Burundi’s Buntubwimana and Kaze on Thursday, October 22, at 4 pm.
On Friday, October 23, they are scheduled to face South Sudan’s Agor Madut and Diing at noon before meeting Kenya’s Eddah and Chesoli at 2 pm.
Namyalo and Amuron are due to face Burundi’s Irakoze and Ndayikengurukiye at 1 pm on Friday before taking on Kenya’s Lorine and Wavinya at 3 pm. Their final pool match is against Kenya’s Selina and Sembel on Saturday, October 24.
The women’s quarter-finals are also scheduled for Saturday, with the pairs looking to secure places in the knockout stage.
Uganda’s men have also been spread across the three pools.
Florent and Aziizi are in Pool A alongside Burundi 2, represented by Mukunzi and Iteriteka, and Kenya 1, Amutalla and Oseko.
Ogire and Ogusul are in Pool B with South Sudan’s Akec and Mayen and Kenya 2’s Chimanyi and Muliro.
Pool C features Kenya 3, represented by Jairoo and Soita; Kenya 4, Bosire and Maluki; and Burundi’s Gakiza and Manariyo.
Florent and Aziizi are scheduled to face Kenya’s Amutalla and Oseko at 9 am on Friday before meeting Burundi’s Mukunzi and Iteriteka at 4 pm.
Ogire and Ogusul began their campaign against South Sudan’s Akec and Mayen on Thursday at 5 pm. They are scheduled to face Kenya’s Chimanyi and Muliro at 11 am on Friday.
The men’s quarter-finals will be played on Saturday, October 24, followed by the semi-finals, third-place playoff and final on Sunday, October 25.
Regional rivals raise the stakes
Uganda will have to be at its best to challenge for the top places, with several rivals arriving in Buwama in good shape.
Burundi, which hosted the opening leg in Bujumbura, will be led by Florian Manariyo. The team will draw on its experience from hosting the Volleyball World Bujumbura Pro Tour last August.
Kenya has assembled a strong squad led by Olympian Gaudencia Makokha after its recent National Beach Tour in Mombasa.
Tanzania, meanwhile, will use the Entebbe event to prepare for the final leg of the circuit in Dar es Salaam in December.
Somalia and South Sudan are making their beach volleyball debuts on the tour, bringing new faces into the regional competition.
The Entebbe Tour is the second stop on the four-leg CAVB Zone V Beach Tour. At the opening event in Bujumbura, Burundi won gold, Kenya took silver and Uganda settled for bronze.
Mombasa is another stop on the four-city circuit before the tour concludes in Dar es Salaam.
Organisers promise a good show
The Uganda Volleyball Federation has put in place a Local Organising Committee to oversee the event, drawing on experience from hosting a successful Africa Nations Championship qualifier.
Moses Opio, chairman of the committee, says the organisers are ready to deliver a well-run tournament.
“We have set up a vibrant Local Organizing Committee. We previously hosted a successful Africa Nations Championship qualifier and we are banking on that experience to deliver a top-notch event,” Opio said.
The competition also offers players a chance to improve their international standing. It is homologated by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB), meaning players can earn valuable world ranking points at each stop.
CAVB Zone V has provided USD 3,000 in prize money to be shared among 32 teams competing in the men’s and women’s divisions.
For Uganda, the immediate goal is to make home advantage count. The women have already shown they can reach the podium, while the men will be looking to go beyond last year’s quarter-final finish.
With the home crowd behind them, both teams have an opportunity to turn the Entebbe Tour into a memorable campaign.