The inspiring story of Robert Katende, the man behind the success of Uganadan chess champion Phiona Mutesi, begins in a small town in Kiboga District where his teenage mother had to place her son in the care of his grandmother. Uprooted by the Ugandan Bus War insurgency of those years, Robert and his grandmother eventually made it to Kampala.
Later, living in the slums of Nakulabye, he was taken in by two different aunties. Against all odds, he made it to Kyambogo University where he pursued a degree in civil engineering. It was there that he started volunteering with Sports Outreach and two years later, in 2002, he began working for that organization full time.
Having played for Miracle Football Club, Top TV F.C. and Sports Outreach Ambassadors (SOA_ F.C. under Coach Aloysius Kyazze, Robert’s ability to help young people with their soccer skills came easily. He also worked with Divine Waters Ministry in partnership with Sports Outreach to drill wells in Gulu. His exemplary and innovative leadership in 15 years of service have see him as Project Coordinator in Katwe, Sports Outreach Director, Kampala and Nairobi, and more recenlty Sports Outreach Director for Africa.
He introduced and developed chess programs in the slums of Kampala, Nairobi and in the internally displaced people’s campus (IDP) in Gulu, Northern Uganda, an area severely affected by Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Katende helped the young program participants attain the skills needed to become a credit to their communities.
The impact of the chess ministry program has now hit the international scene with the Walt Disney Pictures movie, Queen of Katwe, which depicts the life of Phiona Mutesi and her rise from the slums to become a chess champion. Robert Katende worked on the movie as a consultant, helping in particular with the chess scenes.