Jjagwe Robert Writes Open Letter to Hon. Peter Ogwang Over USSSA’s Failure to Broadcast School Games

In a strongly-worded open letter directed to the Minister of State for Education and Sports, Hon. Peter Ogwang, Uganda Table Tennis Association President and sports marketing enthusiast, Jjagwe Robert has raised critical concerns over the repeated failure by the Uganda Secondary Schools Sports Association (USSSA) to ensure live broadcast coverage of the ongoing national school games.

The letter comes amidst the high-profile 21st Edition of the Federation of East Africa School Sports Association (FEASSA) games taking place in Bukedea and Ngora districts, with thousands of talented school athletes competing in multiple disciplines. Jjagwe expressed his deep frustration over the missed opportunity to broadcast the games live, which he says is a disservice to the youth, schools, sponsors, and the development of Uganda’s sports industry at large.

Jjagwe argues that it is unacceptable for children on school holidays to remain detached from watching and being inspired by their peers participating in these games. “We cannot afford to have so many children in holidays but unable to watch and enjoy as their friends compete in these games,” he lamented, noting that the excitement, motivation, and connection such events spark among children are essential to building the next generation of athletes.

He further noted that the absence of live broadcasts significantly undermines the association’s ability to attract corporate sponsorship. “Sponsors you and indeed all of us want to see embrace Ugandan sports will not come to our sector to support us when such things are happening and over 95% of Ugandans are not able to watch the games,” he warned.

Jjagwe emphasized that schools are the primary nursery beds of sports talent in Uganda and that the holiday season provides a unique opportunity to grow local interest in various disciplines. By failing to broadcast the games, USSSA is not only failing the players but also missing an opportunity to nurture a nationwide sports culture.

Drawing from global sports economics, Jjagwe noted that in the 21st century, over 70% of the income used to grow sports events comes from broadcasting rights and TV revenue. “Therefore, anyone not taking videography seriously simply has very little clue on what needs to be done to develop our sports sector in this modern era,” he stated emphatically.

He stressed that it is unacceptable for events funded by taxpayers to be inaccessible to the very people who fund them. “It should ideally be an illegality for taxpayers to fund anyone’s games but those people then go and play quietly with the majority unable to follow or enjoy the very games they are funding.”

Jjagwe also provided practical cost estimates, stating that for just UGX 10 million, all table tennis games could be livestreamed using only two to three cameras. To cover all the 25 sports disciplines being played, he estimates that UGX 250 million would be sufficient—just 4% of the UGX 7 billion Parliament allocated to USSSA.

With such a reasonable cost ratio, Jjagwe argued that USSSA’s inaction is not due to lack of funding but a lack of appreciation for the critical importance of videography and livestreaming in today’s sports landscape.

The letter ends with a passionate plea to Hon. Ogwang to urgently intervene and direct USSSA to make live broadcasting a mandatory component of all future school games. “Already some schools are complaining about the huge cost of these games and lack of sponsors to ease this burden. Sponsors want mostly visibility and sales. And you cannot get these without showing your games to many more Ugandans,” Jjagwe added.

As the voice of sports administrators and enthusiasts across the country grows louder, many will now look to Hon. Ogwang and the Ministry of Education and Sports for decisive leadership on the matter. The call is clear—school sports in Uganda must not be allowed to operate in silence.