Written by
Eric Okello
Four Years of Waiting, and Our Boys Deliver
For four years, the Uganda National Baseball League has been inactive. Four years of our boys training hard for a stage that was not there, showing up for practice and sharpening their skills for games that kept not arriving. This year, after a long series of meetings with the association, the decision was finally made to bring the league back. The plan is to start small but to genuinely start, with the season running for at least three to four months. For everyone connected to baseball in Uganda it is a welcome return. For our players at IMANI Baseball Ministry, it is the answer to a long wait.
A Statement Win at Gayaza
Our opening fixture was not an easy introduction. We travelled to the national baseball stadium in Gayaza to face the Dodgers, the ARVS school team, widely considered the strongest side in the country right now. Our boys were ready. The pitching set the tone, the defence backed it up and the bats did the rest, with every department playing to its maximum. We won the game comfortably by 15 runs to 3. The second fixture of the day was never played, as the opposing team did not turn up and the match was recorded as a forfeit in our favour. Six points from a single day of baseball gave us the best possible start to the campaign and put IMANI top of the National League table.
“If we can beat the best, we are the team to beat.”
Coach Kennedy
Season Opener Highlights
- Uganda National League returns after four years of inactivity
- 15–3 victory over the Dodgers of ARVS School, the top-ranked team in Uganda
- Second fixture awarded by forfeit, giving IMANI six points on opening day
- Akena Emmanuel named MVP and Best Batter
- Akena Emmanuel hit the first home run of the 2026 season, deep into left field
- Thomas named Best Pitcher of the day
- Outstanding defence, with the day’s best catches coming from our centerfielders
- IMANI Baseball Ministry currently sits top of the National League table
Looking Ahead to Lugazi
We return to action on 29th August, this time travelling to Lugazi. Expectations are high after a start like this, and that is exactly where we want them. Our boys have worked out the simple logic for themselves: if you can beat the best team in the country, you are the team to beat. Please keep them in your prayers as the season continues, for safe travel, for humility in victory and for the coaches who pour into these young athletes week after week. Standing top of the league is a wonderful thing. Watching these young men grow in discipline, character and faith is the better thing.
