By George Katongole
After Lukia Naiga’s dominating performance in Lusaka Zambia, she became the first Ugandan to win the title. She is now a name we will not forget soon.
Naiga finished what might have been the most unexpected championship run in African pool history, winning the medal unbeaten.
The 24-year-old defeated her younger sister Rasheeda Mutesi 5-3 in the All Africa Pool Association (AAPA) – Women’s Singles Championships in March 2022.
Naiga, who was the youngest female champion in Uganda, became the first Ugandan in the history of the AAPA championship since 2014 to win the singles trophy.
Improbable
She has looked back on her historic victory, admitting it was not long before she considered quitting playing pool.
She admits she went to Zambia as an underdog and had to master her nerves to navigate a brutally difficult path by playing three Ugandan opponents.
Naiga who made her senior debut with Samona in 2016, was in 2018 frustrated with losing and thought of throwing in the towel.
She now sits at the top of the table with her second continental triumph.
Rough diamond
She was discovered by Victoria Namuyanja, who was then a big time player with Samona, and was impressed with her style of play.
Namuyanja invited her to join the team training sessions at Pacify Hotel Wakaliga, in Kampala.
Samona, which was the household name in the league then, offered her the opportunity but was handed a stern test to play Jacinta Nakajubi to prove her competence.
“I think she just let me win. Most of the players on the team liked me, and when I played her I won. I doubt this was her best game,” she says of how she was introduced to competitive pool.
The then 19-year-old made a name for herself at Samona not by playing regularly, because she was bench material, but when she won the Christmas Cup at Lumas Inn, along Namirembe Road, Naiga sent shockwaves to the pool fraternity.
She defeated Aisha Madondo in the final, after overcoming Sharon Mirembe in the semis.
The country’s seed three made it all the way in 2017 without winning an individual accolade, losing challenges including two finals.
Somehow she got a wildcard to be part of the national team that played in Zimbabwe that year despite failing trials.
Naiga repaid the selector’s faith by winning the doubles with South African partner.
Life changing victory
In 2018, she stole the headlines once again when she lifted the Idd Cup, beating Namuyanja in the final.
This was the third time she was playing with her.
The Idd Cup was just Naiga’s second major triumph, but a life-changing moment for her.
“I had lost so many games and if I had lost that final, I was planning to try something else. But when I won, it was the best moment of my career for sure,” she says.
Since then, Naiga has had a lot of exciting moments despite not getting notable results.
The African champion
Although Naiga was not playing top pool ahead of the AAPA championship, she maintains: “My form was really poor ahead of the tournament. God just helped me.”
The luck of the draw landed her against Zimbabwe’s Petronella Sibanda whom she beat 5-0 in a lopsided game.
“She was a very weak opponent. It was like training for me; so, I tried everything I could have done in a training session,” Naiga says.
In the second round she dismissed South Africa’s Alexia Julius 5-1 before eliminating Nimusiima 5-2 in the last 16.
In the quarterfinals, she beat teammate, Immaculate Ayebazibwe, 5-1 before a similar score against Namuyanja in the semis.
By winning all six games in Lusaka, losing just eight of the 38 frames, Naiga was to rewrite history and become African champion.
The final was a big test as she was scheduled to meet a third Ugandan opponent; it was her sister, Mutesi.
She went on to win all the five games sending the fans wild. Yet her sister is still in low moods.
The tournament was another measure of Naiga’s ruthless efficiency.
