FEASSA Games 2024: St. Mary’s Kitende faces tough challenge in Netball draw

By Emmanuel Sekago

The highly anticipated Federation of East Africa Schools Sports Association (FEASSA) Games are set to kick off on August 16th and run until August 27th, 2024, at Bukedea Comprehensive School and Amus College School in Bukedea District.

Netball is one of the 13 sporting disciplines that will be fiercely contested during the games, with the draws taking place on Monday, August 12th, 2024, at GNZ Plaza in Mengo, Kampala.

The Netball competition is divided into two pools, each comprising five teams. Record holders and defending champions, St. Mary’s Kitende, have been drawn in Group B, where they will face strong rivals, including:St. Noa Girls (Uganda), Lutozo SS (Tanzania), Bumala AC (Kenya) and Andersen SS (Kenya)
Group A, on the other hand, includes:Buddo SS (Uganda), GS Gahini SS (Rwanda), Kawanda SS (Uganda), Dr. Samiya SS (Tanzania) and Oyugi Ongango Girls (Kenya)

St. Mary’s Kitende is no stranger to success in the FEASSA Games, having emerged victorious on 18 occasions. The only other schools to claim the title are Gombe Secondary School in 2002 and St. Noa Girls in 2018. The competition was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but St. Mary’s Kitende has consistently proven to be a dominant force.

As the Entebbe Road-based school prepares for this year’s games, the pressure is on to maintain their winning streak. Under the leadership of Dr. Lawrence Mulindwa, the team will aim to secure another title, continuing their legacy of excellence in East African school sports.

Teso Zone has historically been a lucky venue for St. Mary’s Kitende, with the school often clinching the crown whenever competitions are held in this region. The records speak for themselves, and this year, Kitende will be looking to add another chapter to their storied success in Teso Zone.

Sentogo Kisuule, the Patron of Netball at St. Mary’s Kitende, shared his thoughts on the draw and the upcoming competition in an interview with Wallnetnews:“We are confident in our team’s ability to perform at the highest level. The draw has placed us in a challenging group, but we have faced tough competition before and come out on top. Our focus is on maintaining our winning tradition, especially here in the Teso Zone, where we have always performed well. The girls are ready, and we expect to defend our title and bring the trophy back to Kitende.”

As the FEASSA Games 2024 approach, all eyes will be on St. Mary’s Kitende as they aim to continue their dominance in Netball. With a strong history of success and the added motivation of playing in a region where they have traditionally excelled, Kitende is well-positioned to defend their title. However, with formidable opponents like St. Noa Girls and Lutozo SS in their group, the path to victory will not be easy.

The stage is set for an exciting and competitive tournament, and fans eagerly await the start of the games this week.
Meanwhile, a look at the previous winners of the Feassa Cup since 2002-to 2023.
2002- Gombe SS
2003- St. Mary’s Kitende
2004- St. Mary’s Kitende
2005- St. Mary’s Kitende
2006- St. Mary’s Kitende
2007- St. Mary’s Kitende
2008- St. Mary’s Kitende
2009- St. Mary’s Kitende
2010- St. Mary’s Kitende
2011- St. Mary’s Kitende
2012- St. Mary’s Kitende
2013- St. Mary’s Kitende
2014- St. Mary’s Kitende
2015- St. Mary’s Kitende
2016- St. Mary’s Kitende
2017- St. Mary’s Kitende
2018- St. Noa Girls SS, Zzana
2019- St. Mary’s Kitende
2020-Covid-19 Pandemic
2021-Covid -19 pandemic
2022- St Mary’s Kitende
2023- St Marys Kitende