Dr. Lawrence Mulindwa’s Kitende Empire Sweeps Four Trophies in a Remarkable Weekend

St. Mary’s Secondary School Kitende and Vipers SC delivered a weekend of extraordinary sporting success, winning four major championships within 24 hours and further cementing Dr. Lawrence Mulindwa’s reputation for building one of Uganda’s most formidable sporting institutions.

If dominance in sport needed a physical address, St. Mary’s Secondary School Kitende would have a strong claim to it.

What unfolded over the weekend was more than a collection of victories. It was a remarkable demonstration of the breadth, consistency and depth of the sporting project associated with Dr. Lawrence Mulindwa, the proprietor of St. Mary’s Kitende and president of Vipers Sports Club.

Within an extraordinary 24-hour period, Kitende teams captured three championships at the Federation of East African Secondary Schools Sports Association (FEASSA) Games in Morogoro, Tanzania, before Vipers SC completed the sweep in Uganda by lifting the FUFA Super Cup.

Four competitions. Four finals. Four trophies.

The sequence began with the Kitende girls’ netball team, which defeated fellow Ugandan school Hamdan Islamic School 51-41 to win the FEASSA Girls Netball championship.

The victory provided the first piece of what would become an astonishing sporting haul.

The girls’ basketball team then followed in similar fashion, overcoming Rwanda’s ESB Kamonyi 59-53 to win the Girls Basketball 5x5 championship.

With two trophies already secured, Kitende turned its attention to the competition that has arguably become synonymous with its sporting identity — school football.

The football team did not disappoint.

Kitende defeated Morogoro Secondary School 2-1, with Isaac Tebenkana and Jordan Tugume scoring the goals that secured the school its 14th FEASSA football championship.

The triumph further strengthened Kitende’s extraordinary record in East African secondary school football. Fourteen FEASSA football titles represent a level of sustained success rarely witnessed in school sport, reflecting a system that has consistently produced talented players and competitive teams across generations.

But the Kitende story did not end in Morogoro.

While the school teams were celebrating their achievements in Tanzania, Vipers SC were preparing for their own championship assignment in Uganda. 

The reigning Uganda Premier League champions faced Uganda Cup winners Kitara FC in the FUFA Super Cup at Hamz Stadium, Nakivubo, and completed the extraordinary weekend with a convincing 3-1 victory.

Odili Chukwuma, Karim Watambala and Gusto Mulongo were on target for Vipers as the Kitende-based club added another piece of silverware to the institution’s growing collection.

The significance of the weekend lies not simply in the number of trophies, but in the different sporting disciplines and levels at which the Kitende project continues to succeed.

Netball and basketball demonstrated the school’s strength beyond football. The 14th FEASSA football title reinforced Kitende’s extraordinary dominance in secondary school football, while Vipers’ FUFA Super Cup victory showed how that culture of competition and excellence extends from the school environment into senior professional football.

The Mulindwa Philosophy

At the centre of the project is Dr. Lawrence Mulindwa, whose sporting philosophy has been built around discipline, investment, talent development and an uncompromising pursuit of excellence.

Under his leadership, St. Mary’s Kitende has developed into much more than an academic institution. It has become a major sporting academy and a pipeline for talent, particularly in football, while continuing to compete successfully in other disciplines.

The relationship between Kitende and Vipers has also created a distinctive sporting ecosystem in which young players can develop within the school environment before progressing to higher levels of competition.

That philosophy has produced numerous players who have gone on to feature prominently in Ugandan football, while Vipers have established themselves as one of the country's leading clubs.

The latest weekend of success therefore represents more than four isolated victories. It is evidence of a system that continues to produce results across different generations and competitions.

The “Kitende Republic”

Mulindwa has previously spoken confidently about his ambition to build what he has described as the “Kitende Republic” — a sporting institution whose influence extends well beyond the boundaries of the school.

His comments following Vipers’ success in the Uganda Premier League last season captured that mentality.

“We are going to win so much. You may even get tired of winning,” Mulindwa said, making clear that one championship was not enough to satisfy his ambitions.

The events of the weekend offered a striking illustration of that philosophy.

While many institutions would regard one major championship as the highlight of an entire sporting season, Kitende managed to win four within the space of approximately 24 hours.

The victories also arrived at a particularly symbolic moment, as St. Mary’s Kitende marks 25 years of existence.

A silver jubilee normally provides an opportunity for an institution to reflect on its journey and celebrate past achievements. At Kitende, however, the celebrations have been accompanied by a fresh wave of silverware.

The timing could hardly be more fitting.

A Sporting Culture That Keeps Producing Winners

The most remarkable aspect of Kitende’s success is its consistency.

Winning one championship can be attributed to a particularly talented generation, favourable circumstances or a moment of exceptional form. Sustained success across decades and multiple sporting disciplines points to something deeper — a culture.

At Kitende, winning appears to have become part of the institutional expectation.

The school’s netball players delivered. The basketball players followed. The football team maintained its remarkable FEASSA tradition. Then Vipers SC completed the job on the senior football stage.

The four victories also demonstrate the unusual reach of Mulindwa’s sporting vision.

From students competing at a regional school championship in Tanzania to professional footballers competing for national silverware in Kampala, the same institutional identity was represented. 

That makes the weekend one of the most remarkable chapters in the history of St. Mary’s Kitende and Vipers SC.

More Than Four Trophies

For Mulindwa, the four trophies may ultimately represent more than success in four competitions.

They are a validation of a long-term investment in sport, youth development, coaching, competition and institutional discipline. 

They also reinforce Kitende’s growing reputation as a place where sporting talent is identified, nurtured and challenged to perform at the highest possible level.

The FEASSA football championship, in particular, adds another chapter to a record that has already become legendary in East African school sport.

Meanwhile, Vipers’ FUFA Super Cup victory provides an immediate reminder that the sporting ambitions associated with Kitende do not stop when students leave school. The club has become an important extension of that broader vision.

As Kitende celebrates its 25th anniversary, its trophy cabinet continues to expand.

The weekend began with netball, moved to basketball, continued with football in Morogoro and ended with Vipers lifting the FUFA Super Cup in Kampala. Four events.

Four championships. Four trophies.

For an institution celebrating 25 years, it was a powerful statement of where St. Mary’s Kitende has been, where it stands today and, perhaps most importantly, where Dr. Lawrence Mulindwa believes it can still go.

The “Kitende Republic” is clearly not built on words alone. It is being constructed through championships, generations of athletes and an enduring culture of excellence.

And if the extraordinary weekend is anything to go by, Mulindwa’s message remains unchanged: win — and then keep winning.