CAF'S FINEST: SHAMIRAH NABADDA APPOINTED REFEREE FOR AFCON 2025
CAF's Best Female Referee Shamirah Nabadda selected for AFCON 2025. Discover her historic journey and Uganda's group.
Uganda's Shamirah Nabadda is heading to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco as one of 73 referees selected for the job. She's the only one from Uganda.
Nabadda recently won the CAF Best Female Referee of the Year 2025 in Rabat. At just 30, she's become a respected figure in African refereeing, especially in a profession where men are the majority.
AFCON 2025 will have 28 main referees, 31 assistants, and 14 video officials. Nabadda's presence is noteworthy, considering her strong performance this past year managing important matches all over Africa.
She showed her skill in high-stress situations at the U20 AFCON, the 2024 CHAN tournament, and the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. At the CHAN tournament, she was in charge of the bronze medal match between Senegal and Sudan.
Nabadda was also among the ten African referees at the 2024 Paris Olympics, making history as the first Ugandan woman and only the second Ugandan since 2000 to work at the Games.
Born in Mbarara City to Quraish Mutagubya and Mastula Birungi, she played left-back for Masaka Secondary School before joining Western United in the FUFA Elite Women’s League. After finishing Senior Six in 2015, the late Abbas Sendyowa encouraged her to take a refereeing course at the FUFA Technical Centre in Njeru. That choice changed everything.
By 2016, she had her FUFA badge, and in 2018, she earned her FIFA badge, opening doors to international matches. Since then, she has taken part in the WAFCON, All Africa Games, World University Games, World Cup qualifiers, and many FUFA tournaments.
Nabadda also got a journalism degree from Bishop Stuart University while moving forward in her refereeing career.
Other referees from the CECAFA zone include Pacifique Ndahibawenimana from Burundi, Peter Waweru Kamaku from Kenya, Samuel Uwikunda from Rwanda, Omar Abdulkadir Artan from Somalia, and Mahmood Ali Mahmood Ismail from Sudan.
Uganda is in Group C with Nigeria, Tunisia, and Tanzania. The Uganda Cranes will play Tunisia on December 23, 2025, at the Rabat Olympic Stadium.
AFCON 2025 will be held in Morocco from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026, in six cities and nine stadiums. The tournament starts with Morocco against Comoros at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium on December 21. Ivory Coast is the defending champion.
KCCA BOUNCE BACK: KASASIRO BOYS OVERCOME RECENT SLUMP WITH A GRITTY 2-1 BUL WIN
KCCA are back: Discover how Ivan Ahimbisibwe and Herbert Achai secured a 2-1 win over Bul to rejoin the UPL title race.
Ivan Ahimbisibwe and Herbert Achai both found the net for KCCA, either side of a Denis Sewagudde goal, in a win that really should let coaches Ssenyondo and Jackson Magera breathe a little easier.
Zeal. Hunger. Character. Attitude. That’s what KCCA coach Brian Ssenyondo wanted to see after his team got handed their third loss in five games last week, a 3-1 defeat to NEC that stung. This time, he finally got it. KCCA showed all those qualities and pulled off a gritty 2-1 victory over Bul in the Uganda Premier League at Phillip Omondi Stadium on Wednesday night.
Ahimbisibwe and Achai scored for KCCA, with Sewagudde briefly levelling for Bul, and the result means Ssenyondo and Magera can at least feel the pressure lift for now.
But maybe more importantly, this win drags KCCA back into the title race. They’re now sitting on 33 points from 17 games, just five behind leaders Vipers.
The game started off tight, both sides feeling each other out, but Bul looked a little sharper early on. Even so, it was KCCA who broke the deadlock in the 31st minute with their first real chance. They overloaded the right, Saidi Mayanja whipped in a cross, and Ahimbisibwe, timing his run just right, dived in for a header. That’s his seventh goal of the season, and honestly, he’s been one of the few bright spots among the club’s new signings.
KCCA then had to dig in. Achai made a crucial block to deny Karim Ndugwa after a cross from Reagan Kalyowa. But just before halftime, the tricky Sewagudde bent in a free kick that completely wrong-footed KCCA keeper Mutwalibi Mugolofa, and Bul were level.
After the break, KCCA rediscovered their missing edge. Four minutes into the second half, left-back Achai stormed forward, played a quick one-two with Ashraf Mugume, then hammered the ball past Bul’s Ikara at the near post.
From there, KCCA held Bul at bay, sealing a rare home-and-away double over their Njeru-based rivals, who remain eighth on 20 points.
Earlier that day, Lugazi captain Richard Ayiko grabbed the winner as his side edged UPDF 1-0 in Najjembe, giving them a six-point cushion above the relegation zone. And at the bottom, Calvary finally picked up their fifth point of the season with a goalless draw against Express in Yumbe.
TITLE RACE HEAT: HOW VIPERS DROPPING HOME POINTS GIVES KITARA A CHANCE TO STRIKE
Vipers SC stay top of the UPL with 38 points! Discover how Warren Buule’s equaliser for NEC FC shook up the title race at Kitende.
NEC are stuck in seventh place with 24 points from 17 games. Vipers, even after dropping home points for just the second time this season, hang on to the top spot with 38.
Honestly, NEC have drawn more games than they'd like, nine out of 17. That’s a lot of stalemates in the Startimes Uganda Premier League. But this time, their 1-1 draw away to the reigning champs, Vipers, felt like more than just another point. It actually meant something, especially under the lights at St. Mary’s Stadium in Kitende on Tuesday evening.
Vipers came out flying. They grabbed the lead early and pretty much ran the first half. Six minutes in, Milton Karisa latched onto a slick through ball from Karim Watambala and curled a lovely left-footed shot past NEC keeper Hannington Ssebwalunyo. That was Karisa’s sixth goal of the season, and for a minute there, it looked like the Vipers were about to run riot, just like they did in their 4-0 demolition of Buhimba last time at home.
NEC looked shaky. Coach Badru Kaddu had seen enough and made two early changes, bringing on Shamir Kimwero and Joseph Dhata for Rashid Kawawa and Daniel Shabene inside 25 minutes. The switch helped steady things, but NEC didn’t really come to life until the second half.
Then, with 15 minutes left, substitute Emmanuel Kulanga swung in a cross, and Warren Buule was there at the far post to head in the equaliser. That goal was well earned; NEC were much better after the break. Richard Basangwa, playing up front, kept his old team busy and even got Bady Da Silva and Enoch Ssebagala booked. Ssebagala didn’t last much longer, getting subbed off after a rough tackle on his former side.
NEC has been busy in the mid-season transfer window. They’ve already added six new faces, and more are on the way. Sam Ssekamatte, who scored five goals for UPDF in the first round, watched from the stands with the rest of the unused squad.
So, NEC holds on to seventh, Vipers stay top, but Kitara could shake things up if they beat URA on Thursday. This title race isn’t done yet.
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