Everyone has one, two, three, or maybe even more people they define as role models.
In honour of Women’s Day, Matooke Republic has compiled a list of the new breed of young women role models in Ugandan sport. They were chosen based on their current influence both on and off the field.
Peruth Chemutai
Peruth Chemutai is a Ugandan steeplechase runner. She won a gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo in the women’s 3000 meters steeplechase race, becoming the first Ugandan woman ever to win an Olympic medal.
Hailing from the Bukwo District, she took up running in 2013 after attending the District Athletics Championships in Bukwo as a casual fan.
At the 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games in Apia, she won silver medals in the 1500 meters and 3000 meters. She also competed in the junior women’s race at the 2017 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Kampala, finishing in 7th place.
In 2022, the 24-year-old won Bronze at the Commonwealth in Birmingham, United Kingdom. At the 2023 World Championship, she finished seventh.
Such impressive performances make her one of those young talents to always look out for at every competition.
Fauzia Najjemba
Fauiza Najjemba is a 20-year-old forward for both the Uganda National Senior Women’s Football team (Crested Cranes) and Russian topflight club Dynamo Moscow. She’s currently one of the most highly rated young female players not only in Uganda but also in Africa.
The forward has been nominated for CAF Awards in the category of Young Player of the Year two times (2022 and 2023).
In her Dynamo Moscow stint, Najjemba’s impressive stats speak for themselves. She has netted seven goals and provided four assists in eight Russian Supreme Division games, contributing significantly to her team’s performance and securing the fifth position in the Championship group.
Kirabo Namutebi
Eighteen-year-old Kirabo Namutebi is an exceptional swimmer who represented Uganda at the Olympic Games in Tokyo in the women’s 50m freestyle.
She featured at the FINA World Junior Championship in Budapest, Hungary, in 2019, breaking the Uganda National women’s 50m freestyle record.
Namutebi also participated in the 2019 African Junior Swimming Championships in Tunisia and won two gold medals and a silver.
In the Montgomery County Swim League 2019, she was ranked 2nd in 50 freestyle and among the top 6 in 50 breaststroke and 50 butterfly in the all-stars event that climaxes the league.
She was crowned USPA Swimmer of the Year 2013, the youngest recipient of the award at eight years. She scooped USPA Uganda Female Swimmer of the Year in 2019.
Husnah Kukundakwe
Husnah Kukundakwe is a swimmer who is currently Uganda’s only classified paralympic swimmer. Her first appearance at the World Championships in London was mentioned among the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC’s) Top 10 Moments of 2019.
The 16-year-old began swimming at the age of five and is a member of the Dolphins Swim Club Kampala.
Locally, she participated in the 2017 DSTV Swimming Gala Challenge at Greenhill Academy, Kampala.
Kukundakwe participated in the 2018 Korea Paralympic Youth Camp where she won gold in the 100m breaststroke.
As of May 2019, Kukundakwe was competing in the S9 (freestyle, butterfly, and backstroke), SB8 (breaststroke), and SM9 (Individual Medley) which were reviewed at the World Para Swimming World Series 2019 in Singapore.
She recorded three personal best times in the 100m breaststroke (1:57.8), 100m freestyle (1:30.43), and 50m freestyle (40.24). From this event, she qualified and was Uganda’s sole representative at the London 2019 World Para Swimming Allianz Championships. At this event, she bettered her times in the 50m (38.14) and 100m (1:24.85) freestyle events.
In 2023, Kukundakwe was classified in the S8 category and set her seasonal best times over 50m breaststroke (44:56) and 100m breaststroke (1:30:50).