UGANDA’S KASIM MURUNGI AIMING FOR ZONE 3 GOLD
▪️ “I haven’t seen any boxer who’s a threat in the featherweight I will sweep them all,” says Murungi
October 6, 2025
African Games featherweight bronze medallist Kasim Murungi is aiming for nothing short of a gold medal in the Africa Zone 3 Championships taking place in Nairobi from October 16-25 at the Kasarani Indoor Arena.
A boxer-puncher, Murungi’s power punches and technical precision exemplifies a perfect blend of a complete fighter.
Needless to say his confidence is not in vain because he believes in himself and has improved rapidly since making his international debut at the 2023 Africa Men’s and Women’s Championships in Yaounde, Cameroon.
Murungi did not make it to Yaounde by fluke but showed his immense potential by defeating top featherweights in Uganda such as the 2022 Africa Championships bronze medallist Jonathan Kyobe of Lukanga Boxing Club and Kimuli Henry of Mutajjazi BC.
“I don’t think there’s any boxer to stop me from winning my country a gold medal in Nairobi, I trust myself and believe in my abilities,”says the 22-year old Ugandan boxing sensantion whose skillful boxing rekindles the golden era of some of the most impressive Ugandan boxers such as Vicky Byarugaba and Ayub Kalule.
In his 2023 Yaounde debut, he was eliminated by Mozambican defending champion Armando Sigauque but he has gradually gained confidence since his first international appearance.
This self belief was evidenced at the African Games in Accra, Ghana in 2024 when he caused a major upset stopping Ghana’s twice Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Abdul Wahid Omar in the third round.
“That remains my most memorable victory so far, It inspired me a lot and gave me more confidence,” recalls Murungi who rarely complains when he’s beaten fairly but at the inaugural Mandela African Boxing Cup in 2024 in Durban, South Africa, Murungi did not agree with the judges decision to award victory to Armando Sigauque of Mozambique whom he was meeting for the third time having lost to him at the 2023 African Championships in Yaounde and in the semi-finals of the African Games in Accra.
“That was very unfair, In my mind I knew I had defeated him, that decision remains my saddest moment to date in the ring,” says the Ugandan boxer who started boxing at the age of 14 years in 2017 at the East Coast Boxing Club in Naguru, Kampala, under the tutelage of Hassan Khalili, twin brother to a former international Hussein “Juba” Khalili, a gold medallist in the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games representing Kenya’s national team.
Before losing in the quarter-finals to Sigauque in Durban, Murungi eliminated Tryagain Ndevelo of Namibia. The referee stopped the fight in the third round after the Namibian star boxer sustained a cut above his left eye.
“The fight ended in the last round 45 seconds left to the end of the fight, I was leading on both 2 rounds score cards. In the end, we respect the referee and doctors’ decisions, and it’s part of the game,” Ndevelo, who became the African champion later in 2024, told boxersworld.co.ke in a telephone interview from Namibia.
“He’s a tough and hard puncher, the Ugandan boxers have endurance and physical strength,” noted the southpaw Ndevelo.
“I was more defensive to my advantage of tall height than Kasim who’s got the muscles and endurance which is an advantage for his height.”
Murungi attributes his success to coach Hassan Khalili.
“Hassan Khalili has influenced my boxing,” says Murungi. He speaks highly of Hassan on the valuable knowledge he imparted to him as a rookie.
“Hassan helped me a lot on boxing basics like movement, throwing punches correctly hitting the target, defence and offence and staying calm in the ring when under pressure.”
Murungi was previously a footballer playing as a central defender and almost joined kickboxing but his father advised him to engage in boxing.
“I really loved football but later I began losing interest because when you win in football credit goes to the team, when there’s a mistake they blame the whole team but in boxing it’s you alone not the team.
“I was also keen on kickboxing but I took the advice of my parents to focus on boxing.”
He was inspired by among others Juma Miiro, Shadir Bwogi and Nasir Bashir.
“When I watched them on TV in 2018 going to Australia for the Commonwealth Games they inspired me a lot and decided to emulate them.” Miiro won a bronze medal in the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
The boxing education he gained from Hassan Khalili stood him in good stead in his first National School Championship at Lugogo MTN Arena representing City High in 2019.
“I did well winning a gold medal helping my school carry the overall trophy in girls and boys.”
Murungi showed his claws in the 2022 season in which he won the National Novices, Intermediate and National Open titles as well as being adjudged the best boxer in the National Open.
He has also stamped his authority in the Uganda Champions League competition.
“I’m now going for my third title in the Champions League but to be at the top I beat three-time champion Jonathan Kyobe and Derrick Mubiru who was number two in 2022, I beat Mubiru twice,” says Murungi whose major challenge currently is lack of a steady income.
“I’m a fitness trainer, I train people and they pay me but it’s not much, if I can get a job to have a consistent income I’ll be more comfortable.”
He’s appealing to well wishers in Uganda to assist him financially to enroll in a technical college to arm himself with the right grades to secure a job.
