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SPORTS How Vipers Became Uganda’s No.1 Club
HOW VIPERS BECAME UGANDA’S NUMBER ONE CLUB
Words by Mark Namanya
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For decades, Ugandan football has been built around three aristocrats. The three are the most successful, best supported and most followed, and their rivalry has gone a long way in shaping the landscape of the game in the country over the years.
Growing up, every football fan was a fan of SC Villa, Express or KCC, the latter now referred to as KCCA. And in the highly unlikely event that one was not a fan of any one of the three, they most certainly had a soft spot for one.
The stars in the history of Ugandan football have played for at least one or two or all three of the VEK clubs, as they are known in the game’s circles. Philip Omondi and Jackson shone for KCC; the legendary careers of Paul Edwin Hasule and Magid Musisi are synonymous with SC Villa; while at Express, Fred ‘Gaso’ Mukasa and Hassan Mubiru gave their fans memories to last a lifetime.
But today, there is a new sheriff in town. And they are here to stay. Formerly Bunamwaya FC, Vipers Sports Club are the new dominant team in Ugandan football. They are champions of the Uganda Premier League after winning their fifth title in history with a couple of games to spare, and they do have a very decent chance of pulling out a successful defence of their Uganda Xup trophy, which would make them holders of the two biggest trophies in club football in the country. They do not have the history of the VEK clubs. History is built. But Vipers are creating their own chapter of history and they are a team destined to become part and parcel of the fabric of the game for a very long time in the Pearl of Africa.
Today they command a fanbase to match that of any of their rivals and in St Mary’s Stadium in Kitende, they are owners of arguably the best home ground in Ugandan football. Considering that the club is the youngest among the teams that routinely start the season with championship aspirations, Vipers’ accomplishments and achievements in
Left: The Vipers squad that secured the historic 5th Uganda Premier League trophy.
Below Right: Talismanic defender Halid Lwalilwa.
the last decade are significant feats.
They have won the Uganda Cup thrice, the Uganda Premier League title five times, the Fufa Super Cup once and the MTN 8 trophy once.
The club was formed in 1978 as Bunamwaya by two gentlemen who have since passed on - Livingstone Kasozi and Charles Kasujja; the latter having served as the first chairman of the club. Bunamwaya’s mission at formation was to identify and promote talent among the youth within communities and parishes.
They played as a community club in the 80s and 90s but in 2005, they finally qualified for the top division and have since become a mainstay in the country’s top division.
The club is now owned by three individuals, with Dr Lawrence Mulindwa as the largest shareholder at 90%. He has been bankrolling the club for the better part of the last 16 years and has used his school, St Mary’s College Kitende, as a conveyor belt of talent for the club. The other two shareholders are Tadeus Kitandwe and Harunah Kyobe, who hold a 5% stake each.
Dr Mulindwa’s impact on the club has been nothing short of immense. The former Fufa President, now Honorary President, was once an Express FC diehard, but once he acquired the majority stake in Vipers, he set about building a new hegemony in the game. He has never shed off his soft spot for the Red Eagles – he famously made a financial contribution a couple of years ago when it was struggling – but today he identifies solely with Vipers.
Like Dr Mulindwa, Kitandwe and Simon Sekankya (the club’s marketing director) were all former Express fans. Perhaps that informs the choice of Vipers’ official red colour, which is the same as that of Express. Kyobe, on the other hand, was a fan of KCCA.
Dr Mulindwa has over the years purposed to attract the best young footballers to St Mary’s College Kitende. In turn, they play for his school and ultimately end up representing Vipers. There are also sporting bursaries for footballers at the school.
That perhaps explains why St Mary’s Kitende and Vipers have produced a formidable number of players who have represented the national team. These include but are not limited to Faruku Miya, Yunus Sentamu, current Cranes captain Emmanuel Okwi, Moses Waiswa, Nicholas Wadada and Halid Lwalilwa.
Dr Mulindwa has tried many things in his pursuit to make Vipers the country’s number one club, some of which have turned out to be wrong. He is known to
be impatient with coaches when results are not as he wants them. It explains why the club has had 16 coaches in the last 17 years. There is a legitimate comparison to make between him and former Chelsea owner, billionaire Roman Abramovich.
However, there is a method in the madness and his hunger for success is what has driven the club to the zenith of Ugandan football. In the past decade and a half, he has hired Ugandans, a Nigerian, a Kenyan and a Portuguese on the touchline and today, he has a Brazilian in Robertinho Oliveira and is happy with him.
Vipers today possess a state-of-the-art gym, a modern bus for the team’s travels, a home stadium in St Mary’s and several sponsors including Plascon, DFCU bank, Hiima Cement and Roofings. They possess facilities that put SC Villa and Express in the shade. Only KCCA compares but no one doubts that the superior squad is now at Vipers.
“We want to build our own piece of history that will define our place in football in Uganda,” Dr Mulindwa told Ng’aali when Vipers were declared 2021-22 champions. “Right now our focus is to go to Africa and compete, not participate,” he added, implying that the club’s plan when they represent the country in the Caf Champions League next season will be to leave an impression on the continent.
Vipers have produced several players in their short but decorated years in the topflight but the best five, in the mind of a man famed as the club’s encyclopedia, Harunah Kyobe, are Miya, Tony Odur, Robert Kimuli, Lwalilwa and Sentamu.
“Some people have probably forgotten Kimuli because of the passage of time but he was a loyal servant who played holding midfield with us so well for 12 years,” Kyobe notes. “His contribution to what we are today is remarkable.”
To win the title this season, the club had the magnificent leadership of striker Cesar Lobi Manzoki and his partner Sentamu. Other key players were goalkeeper Fabien Mutombora, midfielder Bobosi Byaruhanga and Milton “Attacker” Karissa. But there was more to their dominance.
Vipers had a squad depth that was the envy of their rivals. Players like Dan ‘Mzee’ Sserunkuma, Paul Mucureezi, Bright Anukani, Disan Galiwango and Karim Watambala have had limited minutes because of competition for places and the competitiveness of the starting XI.
Back in the respective glory days of the VEK clubs, their peak years were associated with their squads commanding such quality and quantity from number 1 to 16. That Vipers command such bragging rights today is a sign of how powerful they have become in the game today. And crucially, it is apparent that they are here to stay.
They have organically grown a fanbase thanks to St Mary’s College Kitende as well as embarking on, and executing, a meticulous plan to recruit fans around the areas of Zzana, Seguku, Bunamwaya and Kitende. They have changed the face of Ugandan football forever.
