A portrait banner of former national champion Mohammed Kayongo looms large over the wooden and iron sheet structure in the middle of Kisansa zone in Nabweru, one of Kampala’s slummy suburbs in the east. Sandwiched between makeshift houses, garages and low-cost market stalls, this is Godfather Boxing Academy, founded three years ago by Kayongo and his colleagues based in the United States of America.
On ground to manage the day-to-day running of the academy, Kayongo assembled an experienced and practical team of managers who include Abdallah Matovu, a former boxer; Sgt Livingstone Bisaso, a UPDF retired child soldier (kadogo); and Hamsi Ssemakula, another former national team pugilist.
Nabweru and its neighbouring Bwaise is the cradle of former boxing stars such as the late Zebra Ssenyange, Twaib Mayanja, Solomon Bogere, Hamis Ssemakula, Shaban Ssemanda, Steven Sendida and Kayongo. They all had humble beginnings in this area in the 1990s but rose to national and international fame against the odds.
That’s the background that compelled Kayongo and Matovu to team up in 2018 and start Godfather Boxing Academy in their native Nabweru. Matovu quit a better-paying job in South Africa after 18 years. While Kayongo still stays in the USA, he dedicates more time to the academy work back home.
CO-DIRECTORS
For instance, he has established a working relationship with NorthSide Boxing Club in Minnesota to support Godfather financially, logistically and promote fighters who come through the academy in Uganda. Accordingly, Americans Ryan Burnet, founder of NorthSide BC, and Phil ‘The Drill’ Williams, a former professional boxer and official of the Minnesota club, are co-directors in Godfather Boxing Academy.
Behind the temporary structures, there is a foundation for the future five-floor recreation centre, which will house a modern boxing gym, hostel, gymnastics, computer library and the academy’s offices, among others. This structure is under construction, and could be ready in two years’ time. At the moment, the academy operates in temporary facilities; a wooden office structure, a locally made boxing ring and an iron-sheet fence.
Currently, the academy has 56 pugilists (aged between 8 and 16) enrolled for regular training. Their parents contribute a small fee of Shs 22,000 to cater for processing their registration and utility bills. Adults come for fitness training lessons at a monthly fee of Shs 25,000 apiece.
Last week, when The Observer visited the academy, Matovu was elated after getting clearance from Uganda Boxing Federation (UBF) to operate as an officially recognized academy in the country. According to UBF standards, a recognized boxing academy must present board minutes, have a bank account, qualified coaches and medical personnel on their staff roster.
Currently based in St Paul, Minnesota, USA, Kayongo took a break from professional boxing in 2016 with 18 wins (13kos), five losses and one draw. This followed an illustrious amateur career in which he won silver medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. He won several national, regional and continental titles.
One of his defining amateur career moments was leading the national boxing team (The Bombers) and being overall captain for Team Uganda to the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. Kayongo met President Museveni for the national flag handover and send-off ceremony. He wants to reignite this ‘momentous’ occasion by tapping into the president’s resources towards sports and youth development.
“The president promised me to reward me if I won any medal for the country then… and fortunately I delivered by winning a silver in Manchester. So, I would be glad if I can channel this reward now towards my cause in Godfather academy,” he says.
BIGGER PLAN
The 40-year-old, who was abducted by Tito Okello soldiers in 1985 and later on rescued from the street by Kefa Ssempangi’s Street Child Foundation, has bigger plans on empowering vulnerable youth through his initiative.
In his ancestral Kiboga district, the academy has acquired eight acres on which they plan to set up a farm to supply food to the academy in Nabweru in future.
Matovu says they have already set up temporary boxing structures in Ntwetwe, Kikwakula to attract the village folk. “We want to establish a branch of Godfather Academy there and use it to tap sports talent. In our bigger future plan, that will become sort of a conveyor belt for sports stars in this country.”
Apart from boxing, the academy imparts life skills such as welding and motor mechanics by collaborating with nearby workshops and garages. And soon, a washing bay will be open to employ the youngsters after training at the academy. “We actually plan to develop our vocational training into a fully-fledged department in future. We want our boxers to live comfortably after their active career in the ring,” Kayongo explains.
Since 2018, Kayongo has also rehabilated 24 former street children picked from Bwaise, Nabweru and other parts of Kampala. Some of them have returned to respective homes and the rest have been resettled into normal life through activities in the academy. “We want to do more of this kind of work,” he said.
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