Andrew Bakiza, a 50-year-old engineer with deep roots in government and development sectors, has stepped onto the chessboard as the new president of the Uganda Chess Federation with an ambitious agenda anchored on one mantra: strong management, strong funding and strong players.
Having worked with major telecoms including MTN Uganda, Airtel, Liquid Telecom and Zain, and having contributed to government digitization under a World Bank project, Bakiza brings a distinctly corporate lens to sports administration.
He has also chaired the Ease of Doing Business Committee under the Presidential CEO’s Forum for eight years, engaging ministries and agencies such as Local Government, URSB and NIRA. Now, he says, it is time to bring that experience into chess.
“At its core, chess is an intellectual sport,” Bakiza said. “I have sat in rooms where players were architects, lawyers, engineers, many with master’s degrees. These are people with immense potential who need structure, welfare, and opportunity.”
Bakiza assumes office at a time when the federation has faced internal friction and is still seeking full certification from the National Council of Sports (NCS). His response is reconciliation guided by rules.
“I believe in forgiveness and fairness,” he said. “As president, I represent everyone. I will not hold grudges.”
One of his immediate priorities is aligning the federation with the new Sports Act. Chess, currently classified as a Tier 4 federation, should be Tier 3 based on its potential reach. Elevation would unlock better government funding, as it hinges on grassroots penetration.
Bakiza’s strategy decentralizes chess administration, strengthening regional associations in Western, Northern, Eastern, and Central Uganda. He plans to support them with equipment such as boards and clocks, ensure proportional funding, and demand clear district- level plans with reporting and verification.
“Chess has been over- centralized,” he noted. “Yet there is raw, untapped talent everywhere, including in the informal sector. The new structure must reach the very last mile.”
Schools are a central pillar of this vision. Rather than relying solely on federation funds, Bakiza is courting corporate partners to sponsor school chess programs. He revealed discussions with financial institutions such as Centenary Bank and Citibank, which have expressed willingness to support chess in schools if management systems are credible.
Bakiza argues that reputation precedes funding. With strong governance, he believes the federation can attract government support, donors, sponsors, and even generate income from chess content. Improved funding, he says, must translate directly into player welfare.
“At a minimum, I will increase international prize money fivefold,” he pledged.
Digitalization is another cornerstone of his vision. Bakiza wants chess to be watchable like football, with digital boards connected to the internet to create a stadium-like experience.
His long-term dream is to deploy about 1,000 digital boards across the country, despite their high cost.
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