Andrew Kabuura,sports journalist for Vision Voice and New Vision newspaper shares his story

For Andrew Kabuura, it’s his wildest dream come true. That is for someone who really enjoyed watching football when he was young and especially the football commentators.
‘I really admired the way they would commentate during a match and their witty remarks.’ But he never thought he would get to be like them. ‘So I was content with just playing soccer at the school leagues.’
But he never stopped watching and listening to his favourite football analysts and commentators like Thomas Mulamba and Ahmed Hussein. Then the big break came.
‘I saw a note from the sports editor of one of the daily newspapers, it was a Saturday, asking anyone who thought they had something to say to on sports to write an article and submit it in together with a photo. So I did just that.’ For two weeks he never heard anything from the newspaper nor did he see any of his articles printed. ‘So I assumed they were not going to print them.’
Then one day he had the shock of his life when the newspaper called him up and asked him to go to their offices. When he got there they said they wanted to take his photo and print his articles. And for the next two weeks they run his articles. After sending in his third article the newspaper editor called him in and asked him if he could work in radio as a sports journalist. With someone who had no formal training in journalism it was quite a shock. But he agreed to audition for the position and the rest is history. He got the job and has his own show every day in the evening where he covers all sports for Vision Voice which is the name of the radio station he works for.
‘Determination and interest got me to where I am. I really like being a sports journalist and though some days I have to work late into the night I don’t mind it because I am doing what I like doing.’
But the best was yet to come. ‘I have just been nominated one of the 36 best sports journalists in Africa and I am just back from Nigeria where I had gone and where I received my first training in Journalism.’ Only two of the 36 were nominated from Uganda.
They were asked to submit three clips of presentations they have done. The best six will be sent to South Africa all expenses paid to report on the 2010 world cup.
Having been in sports journalism for just over a year he is still surprised when people call him and tell him how much they like his programme. ‘The best was when I received a call from Ahmed Hussein who has been a sports presenter much longer than I have telling me how much he enjoyed my programme. I couldn’t believe it and to me that was a highlight of my career.’