The Uganda Volleyball Federation went to polls on Sunday. 31st. January. 2021 at the National Hockey Grounds, Lugogo and its outcomes saw the return of three former top guards to the federation executive.

The elections were successfully organized and managed by a three – man electoral team headed by Charles Kamunvi as the Returning Officer; assisted by Joseph Mary Ssempiira and Loius Bachu as Assistant Returning Officers

Leading the line was Sadik Nasiwu who was elected as UVF president, returning to the position he occupied for two terms between 2009 - 2016.

He returns to the UVF executive with Joseph Odongo who served as treasurer under his administration as well as Godwin Nakaana Ssenyondo who served as 1st vice president. Odong was returned as treasurer while Ssenyondo was returned to the executive but this time as General Secretary.

Other leaders delivered by the Charles Kamunvi Electoral Team included; Ahmed Kigundu as 1st vice president (Media); Salma Kairungi Otika as 2nd vice president (Administration); Eunice Nuwabigaba as Deputy General Secretary; Levian Ashaba, Cisse Musiime and Kenneth Wakibi as Premier Club Representatives; Joshua Osiya, Elisha Kamuhimbise and Innocent Komakech as District Representatives.

Scenes of joy and disappointment befall the delegates after the final results were announced by the Returning Officer; ending a nail biting wait for the results.

Spontaneous celebrations were evident when the Returning Officer Kamunvi announced Sadik Nasiwu’s victory over incumbent Hajida Namanda and Eddie Okila.

Nasiwu trounced his colleagues with a landslide victory. He collected 226 votes while Namanda and Okila got 20 votes and 27 votes respectively.

The final declaration was met with cheers, honking and dancing as supporters of Nasiwu took to the floor to celebrate his victory.

“I'm really happy with the outcome,” Harold Kabazuluka one of the delegates told www.sportnow.ug.

“It's been four years of little growth of volleyball and I have been waiting for this day to happen. We can now celebrate and also pray that Mr. Nasiwu and his team don’t disappoint because we have voted for him overwhelmingly,” he added.

“It is something to celebrate,” Ritah Assimwe told www.sportznow.ug.

 “We really needed a change of guards in all the positions. We have been waiting so long to have this change,” she said.

However the mood among the supporters of the candidates who didn’t make it was more somber with some refusing to accept the results particularly the one of the president and General Secretary.

Some of the delegates that www.sportznow.ug spoke to under anonymity said:

“The volleyball elections have continued to have ghost voters and this will only take us backwards. It is not a good practice for candidates to ferry in delegates for the elective congress. Can you imagine that in the last three Congress meetings, we’ve only been having a maximum of 29 delegates. This practice undermines the credibility of our elections and I think the new executive should come out strongly to address it.”

The other source also under anonymity said:

“This is not over. We are contemplating on running to court. We want this process to be done again with only the delegates that qualify to be at the Congress but not that forest of voters who don’t even know what this elections means to the volleyball fraternity.”

As chants celebrating the victors were flying all over the place, others repeatedly echoed unsubstantiated allegations of fraud by some of the candidates that won.

The new leaders will now run volleyball in the country for the next four years.

The UVF executive 2021 – 2024:

President: Sadik Nasiwu

1st Vice President: Abdallah Kiggundu

2nd Vice President: Salma Kairungi Otika

General Secretary: Godwin Nakaana Ssenyondo

Assistant General Secretary: Eunice Nuwabigaba

Treasurer: Joseph Odong

Premier Club Representatives: Levian Ashaba, Cisse Musiime, Kenneth Wakibi

District Representatives: Joshua Osiya _ Central; Elisha Kamuhimbise _ West\South; Innocent Komakech _ North\East.

Story by Chris Onyait