When Kirabo arrived at the 2019 Africa World Junior Championships in Tunisia, she had no idea what to expect of herself. Could she still continue to be the dominant swimmer she had been from a very young age?
She was set to compete in the 50-meter freestyle, 50-meter breaststroke and the 100-meter freestyle, and at the age of 16, she didn't just compete with the best junior swimmers in Africa, but blew them out of the water.
She became the first Ugandan to ever medal at the competition, winning two gold medals and a silver.
"I didn't know I was the first person from Uganda to do that, but I was in awe," Namutebi explained. "Most times when you go to these competitions, you're hearing the South African or Egyptian anthems, so for the East (Africa) it was such a big win not just for me, but for my country and all of East Africa."
And while she accomplished something for all of East Africa, she also flipped a switch in herself to take her swimming career to the next level.
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
"It (winning the 2019 Africa Junior Championships) fueled something in me, and made me want to achieve even more," Namutebi said.
From the moment she can remember at the age of four, Kirabo was always in the pool with her younger brother swimming for the local Dolphin Swim Club in her hometown of Kampala, Uganda.
Her family was always into sports. Her mom was a table tennis player at the continental level; her father a PE teacher in Uganda; and her seven aunts and uncles were also involved in sports in one way or another.
Learning to swim from a young age with the help of her aunt, Namutebi accomplished a lot of championship feats, including being named the best overall swimmer at the Kenya Junior group swimming championships four consecutive times.
But it wasn't until 2019 that swimming became her top athletic pursuit.
"I was taking on four other sports: basketball, soccer, track and tennis," Namutebi said. "So it was still kind of just for fun at that point".
The 13th Annual Junior Africa Swimming Championships was not the only event she competed in that year, she also swam for Uganda in the 2019 FINA World Junior Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
At the World Championships, she shattered the Ugandan national women's 50-meter freestyle record by winning her heat with a time of 26.98 seconds, .12 seconds faster than her next-closest competitor in the heat.
"The way I performed at those championships in 2019 really showed me that I could take this (swimming) farther than the other sports," Namutebi said.
Her performance at both championships sparked interest not only within herself, but also from the Ugandan Swimming Federation in the form of an Olympic invitation.
"I got an email from the President of our Federation, and my brother and I were both confused, but then I got a text from my mom because they let her know as well," Namutebi said. "I was in awe from that point up until I arrived at the Olympics".
The Olympic dream became a very real thing for her just two days after she arrived at the Olympic Village in Tokyo, Japan.
Namutebi was asked by the National Olympic Committee of Uganda to be their flag bearer, alongside fellow Ugandan boxer Shadiri Bwogi, during the Opening Ceremony's Parade of Nations.
"It was scary, just millions of people watching me on TV. It was kind of eating at the back of my head," Namutebi explained. "But I just knew I had to go there, and be proud of where I'm from and who I am. It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience."
She represented her country well at the Olympics by placing 47th overall in the 50 free, which is the third-best finish by a Ugandan women's swimmer all-time at the Olympics.
"It was a big jump from World Juniors to the Olympics, but there's only so much I could do as a 16-year-old at the time," Namutebi said.
Her journey from the world stage eventually landed her at the University of Indianapolis, where in short order she set the NCAA Division II all-time record in the 50-yard freestyle. Her time of 22.08 seconds at the 2024 NCAA DII Championships earned her the event's national crown.
She ultimately became a six-time All-American at the meet, after the GLVC championship in the 50 free a month earlier–her first collegiate competition.
And now in her second season with UIndy's swim team, she has aspirations to dominate just like she did on the world stage.
"I feel my goal to be the best athlete I can be is more achievable," Namutebi explained. "With this team and the facilities that I didn't have back in Uganda, I believe I can put my country on the map."
