St Mary’s Kitende Breaks New Ground with Historic Appointment of Marion Atwegyeise as Head of Sports | Sbk Sports Mail

St Mary’s Boarding Secondary School, Kitende, widely regarded as Uganda and East Africa’s secondary school sports powerhouse, has once again demonstrated its appetite for innovation with the appointment of Marion Atwegyeise as its new Head of Sports. The landmark decision signals not only a change in leadership but also a bold step toward redefining the structure of school sports administration in the region.

Atwegyeise will serve as the school’s Sports Tutor, a newly created position that makes St Mary’s Kitende the first secondary school in Uganda to establish a dedicated sports tutor role. The move is expected to professionalize sports management at the school, streamline operations, and further strengthen the institution’s already formidable sporting legacy.

For years, Kitende has been synonymous with excellence across multiple disciplines, particularly football, basketball, and netball. The introduction of a Sports Tutor reflects a strategic shift toward institutionalizing success, ensuring that sporting excellence is not left to chance but guided by deliberate planning, technical oversight, and structured development.

Marion Atwegyeise arrives at Kitende with a glowing résumé, having served in the sports department at Buddo Secondary School from 2017 to 2024. During her tenure, she worked as patron for Basketball and Netball, playing a central role in shaping one of the most competitive school sports programs in the country.

Her time at Buddo was marked by sustained dominance at district, national, and regional competitions. Atwegyeise built teams that were not only tactically disciplined but mentally resilient, qualities that translated into consistent podium finishes and championship triumphs.

On the regional stage, she guided Buddo to multiple FEASSA Basketball gold medals. The girls’ teams lifted the coveted titles in 2017 and 2018, while the boys’ sides claimed regional supremacy in 2019, 2022, and 2023—an extraordinary run that cemented Buddo’s status as a basketball powerhouse under her stewardship.

At the national level, her leadership continued to shine. Buddo captured National Schools Basketball Championship gold in 2019 with the boys’ team and repeated the feat in 2022, underlining her ability to sustain excellence across different generations of student-athletes.

Beyond the traditional format of the game, Atwegyeise proved equally adept in the fast-growing basketball 3×3 format. She steered Buddo’s girls to Africa Schools Championship gold in 2023, while the boys secured national 3×3 titles in 2022 and 2023, as well as the 2023 FEASSA 3×3 championship, achievements that showcased her adaptability and forward-thinking approach.

Her success was not limited to basketball. In netball, she orchestrated district-level dominance in 2019, winning gold at the Novice Games, the Buganda Cup, and the Wakiso District Championships. These victories reflected her holistic understanding of sports development and her ability to build competitive structures across disciplines.

At St Mary’s Kitende, Atwegyeise will oversee the entire sports ecosystem, a responsibility that extends far beyond team selection and match-day preparation. She will provide technical support to all sports programmes, coordinate internal and external competitions, and ensure effective management of sports equipment and financial resources.

Her mandate also includes cultivating a professional sports culture rooted in respect, empathy, teamwork, and discipline. By prioritizing safe and inclusive environments, she will help create spaces where student-athletes can thrive both competitively and personally, reinforcing the school’s commitment to character formation alongside performance.

In addition, she will be tasked with tracking athlete performance and maintaining comprehensive sports records, managing athlete and staff conduct, and strengthening cohesion within the school’s sports community. These systems-driven responsibilities are expected to introduce a new era of accountability and data-informed decision-making.

Ultimately, the appointment of Marion Atwegyeise underscores St Mary’s Kitende’s unwavering commitment to innovation and excellence. As the school seeks to maintain its dominance on the regional stage, this historic move positions it not merely as a champion on the field of play, but as a trailblazer in shaping the future of secondary school sports development across Uganda and East Africa.