Trailblazer Suzan Kafumbe was a peerless figure in Ugandan sport

Until her death last week, SUZAN KABEJJA KAFUMBE SENTANDA was one of the most recognizable figures in Ugandan sport.

Famed for cofounding the basketball team called Lady Bucks, she was a top-level player for more than two decades and inspired a plethora of young ladies to take on the sport. Also a sports administrator who served in various national roles, she will be remembered as one of the most influential and inspirational figures, writes Hassan Badru Zziwa.

Kafumbe’s name is associated with several sports disciplines. She was a colossal figure when it came to the game of basketball and was renowned for her insatiable appetite for success. She almost single-handedly built Lady Bucks basketball team into a formidable side which was dominant in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

However, Suzan aged 61, breathed her last on July 2, at Nsambya hospital where she was rushed after temporary admission at Doctor’s Plaza. Suzan used her politeness, generosity and huge pockets to finance the game from club to the national-level team. She inspired those around her and also encouraged many young players into the game.

Peninah Kabenge, who spent more than four decades with Suzan, was in tears when I approached her on Wednesday.

“She was like a sister to me, our families were way close and our children grew together,” Kabenge said.

Kabenge said, on many occasions when she used to travel out of the country, Suzan used to take charge of her children.

“She could pick and drop my children to school and sometimes cover some school requirements.”

Speaker from speaker who eulogized Suzan at her home in Ntinda-Kigowa made special attributes to the woman who touched hundreds of people in different capacities.

“She was inspiring, dedicated, resilient and had a vibrant spirit; she was intelligent and also excelled in co-curricular activities. She was always on top when it came to athletics and netball,” said one of the mourners who went to Gayaza High School with Suzan.

FORMATIVE YEARS

Suzan exhibited her talent especially in netball and athletics. However, her multi-talent was discovered at Makerere University where she was admitted at the law school in 1984. According to Kabenge, they were both at Mary Stuart hall where both of them guided their hall to win a series of trophies in a number of disciplines like, athletics, netball, hockey and basketball.

At Makerere, Suzan excelled in 400m hurdles and she also added hockey and basketball. On many occasions, she played each of the disciplines at a top level.

FORMING LADY BUCKS

I do recall in the early 1990s Uganda Sports Press Association (USPA) declared basketball as a dull game due to lack of a league and having fewer clubs. It was around 1995 when Fuba men league started with six teams. There were two women sides, Amazon Rhinos and Blue Jackets that I knew at the time.

Suzan joined Amazon Rhinos while Kabenge played for Blue Jackets. It was around that time when the two buddies, mooted the idea of starting a third team to increase the local competition. The two ladies were joined by Rosette Meya Kaggwa and incidentally the ‘trio’ belonged to Ngabi clan and named the team Lady Bucks. Lady Bucks grew bigger and became dominant in the Fuba league.

“The three of us were aggressive, perfectionists, principled and self-driven. We did everything in our powers to make our team excel,” Kabenge said.

Suzan went a step higher by being elected on the Fuba executive where she served as treasurer and she was also one of the directors of the defunct Falcons basketball team. On the field, she was one of the country’s best Shooting Guards (SG) and excelled at both club and the national teams.

At the time, Lady Bucks was unplayable and it had the best players in the country. That’s one of the reasons they won five league titles in a row.

The three ladies again sat and mooted the idea of forming another team. In 1998, Rosette left Lady Bucks and formed A1 Challenge Basketball team. This increased the competition but Suzan and Kabenge continued to manage Lady Bucks.

The competition was high and I recall in November 2001 when Lady Bucks won the sixth title. Both Lady Bucks and A1 Challenge were tied on 2-2 in the best-of-five series but on the last game, A1 Challenge walked out after rejecting the two referees Edward Sendi and Emmanuel Samanya in the decider, and the game was awarded to the Bucks.

In 2003, Kabenge used her position as Makerere University sports tutor and formed Makerere Sparks (Women) and Cubs (Men). Suzan retired from playing the game but continued bankrolling Lady Bucks. According to Kabenge, Suzan used to accommodate Lady Bucks and foreign women side teams at her home during regional events.

“She used to accommodate all women teams at her home and foot all the bills. She was God-sent; she did everything in her powers for basketball.”

However, around 2007, Suzan left the scene and concentrated on her businesses in Kampala and upcountry. She left the team in the hands of Harriet Lubowa, who also endured financial hardships and the team folded in 2016.

FINAL FAREWELL

I got to know Suzan in the 1990s, she used to watch football and she was rooting for Kampala City Council (KCC) FC but after the death of her husband, she remained on a low profile.

In August 2022, I came close to her when I was writing about the late Abbey Kafumbe Mukasa’s legacy. The late Kafumbe happened to be Suzan’s husband. She provided me all the information I wanted for my article and did not shy away from my consistent phone calls or physical appearance at her shop on Luwum street.

She was a woman who loved basketball more than anything else, a woman who touched the life of many people irrespective of their clubs. When she left basketball, she concentrated on her businesses. And she had also become a good farmer and had a farm at Kayabwe along Kampala-Masaka highway, which mainly produced maize and Gonja.

Suzan’s last public function was on June 24, during the wedding of Kabenge’s son, Dale Sendagire at Kawuku lake gardens. And according to Kabenge, she did not have health issues.

Suzan reportedly collapsed at her home when she was speaking on phone on Tuesday July 2. She was rushed at Doctors Plaza clinic. The condition worsened and she was transferred to Nsambya hospital where she died. Her body was cremated at Kololo.