Cricket Uganda has completed a series of Mini Cricket Development Festivals across Ndejje, Mbale, Kamuli and Lugazi, as the governing body steps up efforts to grow the game at grassroots level.
The festivals, held on March 27, brought together boys and girls in the Under-11 and Under-13 categories, offering them a platform to participate and showcase their talent. The events are part of a wider national rollout targeting early exposure to the sport and structured talent identification.
The initiative followed preparatory capacity-building sessions for teachers and District Sports Officers, aimed at equipping schools and communities with the skills to effectively deliver mini cricket. Cricket Uganda says this approach is designed to strengthen long-term impact and ensure sustainability within school systems.
Each festival also served as a build-up to upcoming regional competitions, where participating schools will compete for higher honours as part of a structured development pathway.
Grace Mutyaba, the Northern Region Development Officer, said the turnout and engagement reflected the programme’s growing reach.
“We are glad to have completed the Mini Cricket Development Festivals in Ndejje, Mbale, Kamuli and Lugazi on Friday, with the next festivals scheduled to run on the weekends of 11th and 18th April. The events were a success because we had a good number of schools take part. Our goal as Cricket Uganda is to ensure talent is nurtured across all regions, and seeing the youngsters participate indicated a bright future for them going forward.”
Cricket Uganda projects that the 2026 festivals will engage about 10,240 participants across more than 30 districts, underlining the scale of the grassroots programme.
The governing body has also lined up structured district and regional competitions to increase competitive opportunities, particularly for newly introduced schools, as it looks to deepen participation and consistently develop talent.
Mini cricket remains the entry point into the sport’s development pathway in Uganda, focusing on introducing children to the game in a safe and enjoyable environment while building skills and laying the foundation for future growth.
