Muteesa Hand Sports Department to Trophy-Winning Lutaaya
By Kayiira Jackson
Muteesa I Royal University (MRU) has appointed former Uganda Martyrs University Sports Tutor Henry Mary Lutaaya to lead its sports department for the next two years.
Lutaaya was unveiled on Wednesday at the university’s main campus in Masaka, bringing an end to MRU’s period without a permanent sports tutor.
His appointment comes at a crucial time for the Royal University, which is preparing to defend its Pepsi University Football League (UFL) title while also strengthening its presence across other sporting disciplines.
MRU made history by winning the 2025/26 Pepsi University Football League title, and Lutaaya has been entrusted with the responsibility of building on that success and creating a more competitive sports structure at the institution.
The new sports tutor arrives with considerable experience in university sports, having spent several years at Uganda Martyrs University, where he helped transform the institution into one of Uganda’s most successful university sporting establishments.
During his time at Uganda Martyrs University, Lutaaya was part of a sports structure that produced success in football and several other disciplines. UMU won the University Football League in 2022 and 2025, while its football team also won gold at the 2024 Eastern Africa University Games in Maseno, Kenya when he was the tutor.
Lutaaya’s tenure at Uganda Martyrs was marked by success across several sports, with the institution also winning gold in football and rugby at the 2023 National University Games.
His experience extends beyond the local university scene. In 2025, Lutaaya was among Ugandan volunteers at the FISU World University Games in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany, where he worked in the ticketing department. The experience exposed him to international approaches to university sports management and the organisation of major sporting events.
Lutaaya’s sporting career has been backed by an academic journey that has increasingly focused on sports administration.
He has an academic background in Information and Communication Technology and later pursued advanced studies in sports management. He went on to obtain a Master’s degree in Sports Administration from the Russian International Olympic University, strengthening his credentials in sports leadership and administration.
His combination of practical experience and formal training in sports administration is expected to be an important asset as he takes charge of MRU’s sports department.
Speaking after his appointment, Lutaaya thanked the university management and Dean of Students, Ssenkungu Paddy, for entrusting him with the responsibility.
“I sincerely thank the management of Muteesa I Royal University and the Dean of Students, Mr Ssenkungu Paddy, for placing their trust in me to lead the sports department at this historic Royal University,” Lutaaya said.
“This is a role I assume with deep pride and humility. With the university’s full backing and commitment to providing the resources needed, I am ready to elevate the MRU sports family to another level.”
Lutaaya says his ambition goes beyond maintaining MRU’s dominance in football. He wants to develop a comprehensive sports programme capable of producing competitive teams across several disciplines.
“By combining structured management, strategic talent recruitment and my past championship experience, we will turn MRU into a dominant, winning force in university sports. Together, we are going to take MRU sports to the very next level,” he adde
His immediate challenge will be preparing MRU for the upcoming Pepsi University Football League season.
Having inherited a team that recently lifted the UFL trophy, Lutaaya will be expected to ensure the champions remain competitive while identifying and developing new talent to sustain their success.
However, football will not be his only focus.
Lutaaya has outlined plans to strengthen several sporting disciplines at MRU and build a sports department based on proper planning, talent identification, recruitment, athlete development and improved competition structures.
Another major assignment will be the East Africa University Games scheduled for December 2026, where MRU will seek to compete strongly against universities from across the region.