Scramble to succeed Anek at UNF starts

In 2007, Susan Anek was appointed the interim president for Uganda Netball Federation (UNF) by the National Council of Sports (NCS) after Lydia Bukenya the former president was accused of failing to organise an election when her two year term ended.

Anek with an interim committee was in charge of UNF till 2009 when an election was held.
Anek won the 2009 election against Bukenya and has been president for three terms following the amended UNF constitution where the two-year term was doubled.

She was a secondary school teacher, a technical vice chairperson and head of netball in Uganda Secondary Schools Association (USSA). Anek was backed by sports enthusiast Lawrence Mulindwa.

“I did not intend to stand for the presidency but was pushed by some people. I don’t regret it because I have done a lot,” said Anek, who is also vice president in charge of netball development on the African continent.
Annet Kisomose, also teacher at Mulindwa’s St Mary’s Kitende, would also stand for the general secretary post.

And now that Anek’s term in office nearing end, Kisomose has shown intent to stand for presidency in the forthcoming election whose dates have not yet been identified. Kisomose denies being supported by her boss Mulindwa.
“I come to stand as Kisomose and Mulindwa is not backing me in any way,” Kisomose told Daily Monitor.

She wants to develop netball from the grassroots, as well as ensure that coaches and umpires attain International Netball Federation (INF) recognised badges.
She would like to see netball secure a permanent home as well as a standard court instead of competing with other sports for the indoor arena in Lugogo.

November elections
Anek was re-elected to a third and final term in November 2017, an election that had been pushed from February that year because Uganda was hosting the 2017 Africa Netball Championships.
But the decision has not gone without criticism as some delegates accuse Anek of pushing the election in the year just buy herself more time in office.

“In 2017, Anek and colleagues pushed elections to November claiming that they were preparing for an African championship. But traditionally our elections have always been held in February. We’ll have to talk about this in the upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM),” said Dennis Mpoza, a UNF delegate from Kampala.
The UNF will have its AGM on February 26 but Anek has made it clear that it will not be an elective one like it has been making rounds on social media.

“My term is still on. Those saying that elections will be in February, maybe they mean the February of next year. I came to office in November so I will leave in November,” Anek said.

She plans to lead the She Cranes to their three-match Test scheduled for March 24-30 in Cape Town, South Africa, and also their counterparts She Pearls to the U-21 Netball World Cup in Fiji in November.

Anek’s tenure has focused on international tournaments leading to neglected of local competitions, especially the national league, that has for long failed to get sponsors.
Last year, UNF failed to support teams in meeting Covid-19 Standard Operating Procedures and the league ended up being called off.

The She Cranes, too, have no serious sponsors save for small packages in terms of kits and balls offered by companies that deal in sports equipment. The team has solely relied on government funds to take part in competitions.
Anek has also been criticised for undermining men’s netball yet there are a lot of male stakeholders in the sport.

“Most of the coaches and umpires are male, we have male netball teams but they have always been looked at as by the ways. We need a leader who will elevate men’s netball,” said Mpoza.

Anek’s tight race at the helm of netball federation

Tail or head, the coin Susan Anek has at UNF almost balances itself. From picking netball out of poverty and taking them to the World Cup, one can also find her failures to promote the sport locally and at the grassroots.

Her career highlight came in 2015 when Uganda qualified for a second Netball World Cup after the 1979 edition in Trinidad and Tobago.
The cash-strapped She Cranes had to travel to various African countries for games, an endurance that touched the INF, and when Uganda applied for full affiliation to the world body under Anek’s regime, it was granted.

This saw the once unranked Uganda achieve 18 placement before the 2015 World Cup. The She Cranes over the years have been progressing till their current seventh ranking in the world.
Uganda made the cut for more relevant competitions including the 2019 World Cup, Commonwealth Games in 2018, back to back African championships victories in 2017 and 2018 before losing to South Africa in 2019.

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