The sport has long had colonial associations, and even after independence was reserved for the elite. Now enthusiasts like photojournalist Timothy Akolamazima hope to ignite a grassroots passion for the sport
My sport is not a well-known one in Uganda. Tennis requires equipment and a well-maintained court with a flat surface – all expensive things. It is a foreign game, brought here by the British colonialists, and the exclusive courts were constructed and used by only the wealthiest in society.
There were courts at Makerere University and at the Kampala Club. One was also built beside the cricket oval at Lugogo, and it’s still there. But the sport remained largely the elite preserve of foreigners, at first the whites and later, increasingly, Asians.
Court maintenance, supply of balls and restringing of rackets must all be done before play can begin. Here, David Oringa serves in a match at Lugogo tennis complex in Kampala, and Charles Wanyama umpires a national championship clash between Simon Ayera, left, and Godfrey Ocen