Ahead of the biggest day in the Uganda Pool Association calendar in 2025, last year’s National Pool Open Championship winner, Mansoor Bwanika, vowed to defend the championship as he seeks to become the first player to do so.
To date, since the event’s inception in 2012, Bwanika, who won in 2018 and 2024, Fahad Ssewankambo, who won in 2014 and 2017, and Jonah Turigye, who won in 2010 and 2013, remain the only players to win the men’s championship more than once.
In the championship’s draws held in Lugogo at Cooper Chimney, NCS, on Thursday, December 18, Bwanika was drawn against 2015 Champion Amos Ndyagumanawe in the first round of the Men’s Championship.
Speaking ahead of this year’s Championship, which is scheduled for Sunday, December 21, at Lugogo Indoor Arena, Bwanika vowed, “Last year I won, but this year I am better than how I was last year. I am much more focused and believe I am defending this championship.”
Last year, Bwanika defeated Ibrahim Ssejjemba in the final, and the finalist is focused on taking it game by game, “After failing last year, I am back. I need to perform better than last season, and I take every game seriously because it is going to be a long road that gives no chance to mess up.”
This year’s Men’s Championship attracted 128 participants, including former champions like Ceaser Chandiga and Alfred Gumikiriza, who will play a race to 5 before the Semifinals, where they will play a race to 7. Then the final will be a race to 9.
In the Women’s Championship with 32 participants, defending Champion Marion Kisakye was drawn against Valeria Mbandyowere, while last season’s finalist Amina Nganda will face Rashida Nansasi in the first round.
With a total of 160 participants, two winners will drive off with Subaru Imprezas as the event, shapes much closer to sporting, with sports cars replacing non sporting cars which gave out two Toyota Mark Xs last year.
Speaking on the change, Uganda Pool Association Secretary Paul Wasike revealed, “We look to more closely resemble what we are, so we decided to have these sporting cars which are quite user-friendly to the status of our players.”
