Uganda starts strong at Africa Badminton Championships

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Uganda got off to a strong start at the 2025 All Africa Senior Mixed Team Badminton Championships, securing a 4-1 victory over Reunion in their Group B opener in Douala, Cameroon on Monday.

Defending women’s singles champion Fadilah Shamika met expectations, winning her match 2-0, while Kenneth Mwambu also claimed victory in his singles encounter.

The women’s doubles pair of Husina Kobugabe and Gladys Mbabazi triumphed 2-1, as did the mixed doubles duo of Kobugabe and Muzafar Lubega. However, Uganda’s men’s doubles team, Lubega and Augustus Owinyi, fell to their opponents 2-0.

After her win, Fadilah expressed confidence in her title defence.

“We are facing South Africa, and most likely I will be playing their seed one, Johanita Scholz, who I beat in the 2023 final to lift the title. I am happy that Uganda started with a win,” she said.

Head coach Ivan Karimunda praised the team’s performance and set sights on topping the group.

“We have a tough opponent, South Africa, that we have to beat to top Group B. We will not be changing our strategy on team selection,” Karimunda stated.

Uganda has entered a full squad of four men and four women for the tournament. The men’s team consists of captain Amos Muyanja, Kenneth Mwambu, Muzafar Lubega, and Augustus Owinyi. The women’s lineup features Husina Kobugabe, Fadilah Shamika, Tracy Naluwooza, and Gladys Mbabazi.

Uganda competes in Group B alongside Reunion and South Africa. Group A includes Algeria, Cameroon, Egypt, and Ghana, while Group C features Mauritius, Nigeria, Zambia, and Equatorial Guinea.

The championship runs until Saturday, with countries competing in both team and individual events, which include two singles, two doubles, and one mixed doubles match.