On the night when the Federation of Motorsport in Uganda came to recognize abundant and excellent services from people in Motorsport, the Katende Family made the cut with a Lifetime Achievement Award presented to Katende Senior on the colorful night held on 3rd January 2025 at Silver Spring Hotel Bugoloobi.
The award was a special recognition to Godfrey Katende, who started the Motorsport journey slightly before making a half-century.
Godfrey Katende Mukiibi 72, joined the sport 1966 as a boy who used to climb trees in order to witness bike racing at Nakivubo in the 1970s.
Later, his chance arrived when his father, the late Godfrey Mukiibi Katende, realized Katende’s admiration and decided to give him money for his first entrance, of which no one knew that it was an entrance for generations.
With that single entrance, Katende Senior, then a boy, was brave enough to meet racers on that day, including Dick Kawesa, to inquire on how to join.
Kawesa is reported to have liked Godfrey Katende’s aggression and passion and helped him to have his dream come true.
Katende got his first day of racing, though it didn’t go down well with his father, despite the fact that he couldn’t stop the then-young man’s passion.
The day went down as an introduction for the legacy which is currently at stake, with Godfrey Katende’s grandchild taking the baton from George Ssemakula Katende, their father, who took the stride for the second generation, utilizing his father’s inspiration.
From the first to the second generation, starting in racing and adapting to rally driving continued to become a norm, as it is also in the plan for the third generation of Miguel and Abigail Katende also won multiple awards on the awarding ceremony, are currently rumbling in racing as the family continues to represent Uganda at the international scene for over 40 years.
