In a fiery open letter that’s shaking up Uganda’s sports circles, Uganda Table Tennis Association President and seasoned sports marketing enthusiast, Jjagwe Robert, has taken a bold swing at the Uganda Secondary Schools Sports Association (USSSA) for keeping national school games in the dark, literally. Addressed to Minister of State for Sports, Hon. Peter Ogwang, Jjagwe’s letter lashes out at what he calls a “media blackout” surrounding the ongoing tournaments in Bukedea and Ngora, lamenting that millions of Ugandans are being unfairly benched from the action.
According to Jjagwe, this blackout is more than just a missed opportunity, it’s a self-inflicted injury to Uganda’s sports development. “We’re sitting on a goldmine of talent and national inspiration, but somehow forgot to turn on the lights,” he wrote. With schools out and students on holiday, the games were perfectly poised to ignite youthful passion and rally the nation. Instead, the lack of televised coverage is leaving potential fans, future athletes, and willing sponsors completely in the dark.
Jjagwe didn’t stop at passion; he crunched the numbers too. He pointed out that over 70% of global sports revenue comes from broadcast rights, yet USSSA appears uninterested in tapping into this gold vein. “It reeks of a leadership that doesn’t grasp modern sports business,” he quipped, suggesting that even a modest UGX 250 million, just 4% of USSSA’s UGX 7 billion budget, could have covered all 25 games via livestream. “This isn’t rocket science,” he joked. “It’s just cameras, cables, and common sense.”
The letter took a more serious tone as Jjagwe questioned the ethics of excluding the public from games funded by taxpayers. “We’re footing the bill, but we can’t even watch?” he scoffed. He warned that such opacity not only breeds frustration but also erodes national unity, pride, and public trust in sports institutions. With many schools already lamenting the rising costs of participation, the lack of sponsorship, fueled by zero media visibility, is like trying to run a marathon in slippers.
As he signed off, Jjagwe threw the ball squarely into Minister Ogwang’s court, urging immediate intervention before Uganda’s school sports system becomes a ghost tournament. “Sponsors want exposure, fans want access, and the kids deserve a spotlight,” he concluded. With his letter now making waves, all eyes, and hopefully cameras, are on the minister’s next move.
