Club History

I mention them with all due respect to those I will respectfully refer as “second row”, who were quick to buy the idea and quickly come on board. These include Jacko and Genza, among others. In our line of duty as Impis RFC players and sports leaders, we had interacted with Edward Kitaka (RIP), who had shown interest in us joining Kobs RFC. The challenge was that we were many leaving the university at the same time, and did not see ourselves joining them and having enough playing time. There were very few premier clubs, and meaning there was definite competition to actively fit in them. However, four main reasons influenced our final decision to form a club:

• Our love for the sport, but also sports in general. We were all involved in one other sport or the other. Umatete was a prolific soccer player; Ojambo was into basketball, I was into athletics and basketball, among others.
• The need to guarantee ourselves playing time at the top (premier) level.
• The vision to create space for the many young players especially in schools who would not be accommodated into the few existing clubs.
• From a macro level, we believed we had the capacity to make a substantial contribution to sport in the country.

At the time, three of us – Ssozi, Ojambo and myself – were enrolled for post-graduate degree programs at the university. Ssozi and I graduated first degree in 1994 and immediately joined the Masters program. We were also allowed to continue playing for our undergraduate halls. Ojambo, Umatete and Kyakuha finished in 1995, and Ojambo also joined immediately. We were meeting every week day – I was residing at Dag Hammarskjold Hall, and they always came down after lectures, but also regularly met at the university grounds. It was easy to meet, with the other two (Umatete & Kyakuha working in town) assured of finding us. We would also meet at former Kampala RFC on weekends after games.

Once we had made significant progress had some specifics on paper, we informed Kitaka of our resolution – to go our way! He initially expressed doubt about our cability, but eventually gave us his blessing, and also became our “patron” of sorts, because we henceforth closely consulted with him! We then requested him to support our registration with the Union, something he executed with gladness.

To give respect where it is due, even when we had been deliberating, the people who took the major step into actualizing the formation was Umatete and Ojambo, when they convened our first meeting. The discussion of the specifics – club name, training ground, recruitment strategy, colours – started in earnest. Shortly later, Black Pirates RFC was born.