Kahaara Crowned Champions As Inaugural Sunny Magezi Academy Football Tournament Brings Masindi Together

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Football As A Uniting Tool. The inaugural Sunny Magezi Academy Football Tournament brought grassroots football, local businesses and community leaders together in Kinuuma Village, with Kahaara edging Creamland to lift the trophy during celebrations marking the academy's first anniversary.

Champions Rise: Kahaara captain James Kato lifts the inaugural trophy after receiving it from Aliguma Foundation CEO Ritah Aliguma (4th R), sealing the team's place in Sunny Magezi Academy tournament history. PHOTOS/AF MEDIA — **Champions Rise:** Kahaara captain James Kato lifts the inaugural trophy after receiving it from Aliguma Foundation CEO Ritah Aliguma (4th R), sealing the team's place in Sunny Magezi Academy tournament history. **PHOTOS/AF MEDIA**

2026 SUNNY MAGEZI SOCCER ACADEMY FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT

Result - Final:

Kahaara 1-0 Creamland (Scorer: Simon “Firmino” Kugonza)

Third-Place Play-Off:

Kijenga 1-5 Katafali (Scorers: Johnson Ayesiga and Julius Assimwe scored a brace apiece. Brian Isingoma got the other; Wilson Taremwa scored consolation of Kijenga)

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS:

Top scorer: Rashid Simon Tugonza (Katafali) – 6 Goals

Best Defender: Marvin Carie (Creamland)

Best Goalkeeper: Norbert Klits (Creamland)

Best Fan: Zubeda Karungi (Kahaara)

Pure Ecstasy: Supporters flooded the pitch to celebrate Kahaara's historic triumph, turning the final whistle into a festival of joy and jubilation. — **Pure Ecstasy:** Supporters flooded the pitch to celebrate Kahaara's historic triumph, turning the final whistle into a festival of joy and jubilation.

MASINDI, UGANDA – November 9: Kinuuma Village came alive on November 7 as football took centre stage in a celebration that extended beyond the pitch.

The inaugural Sunny Magezi Academy Football Tournament last three weeks and brought together 12 teams, supporters and families at the Aliguma Foundation Sports and Empowerment Centre (AFSEC) playground, while roadside vendors and grocery sellers took advantage of the large crowds to do brisk business.

For the players, it was an opportunity to showcase their talent. For local traders, the gathering brought customers to their stalls. And for the Aliguma Foundation, it demonstrated how grassroots sport can create connections and opportunities beyond the playing field.

The tournament formed part of celebrations marking the first anniversary of Sunny Magezi Academy, with the competition building towards a lively final between local favourites Creamland and Kahaara.

Final Spark: Martina Novakovic, a friend of the Aliguma Foundation from Slovenia, officially set the final rolling, adding a memorable moment to the showdown between Kahaara and Creamland. — **Final Spark:** Martina Novakovic, a friend of the Aliguma Foundation from Slovenia, officially set the final rolling, adding a memorable moment to the showdown between Kahaara and Creamland.

Kahaara eventually claimed the inaugural crown, edging Creamland 1-0 through Simon “Firmino” Kugonza’s decisive strike. Creamland had gone into the final as favourites, buoyed by home advantage and familiarity with the AFSEC playground, where they regularly train. But Kahaara had the final say, with Kugonza – nicknamed after Brazilian forward and former Liverpool star Roberto Firmino – delivering the winning moment.

Kahaara find the golden touch

Kahaara booked their place in the final with a convincing 3-0 victory over Katafali, while Creamland survived a tense semi-final against Kijenga United, winning 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

Kugonza's strike then proved enough to separate the finalists, earning Kahaara the trophy, a bull, gold medals and a new set of jerseys.

“It was humbling to win the tournament and also score the winning goal,” Kugonza said.

“The crowd was massive and cheered us every time. I wish we are exposed so that we get big clubs and develop our talent.”

Honourable Start: Cultural Affairs Attaché at the United States Embassy in Uganda Lana Surface set the third-place contest in motion, giving the play-off a special touch as the tournament's final day gathered pace. — **Honourable Start:** Cultural Affairs Attaché at the United States Embassy in Uganda Lana Surface set the third-place contest in motion, giving the play-off a special touch as the tournament's final day gathered pace.

Creamland, winners of the previous year's mini-festival at the academy opening, settled for second place, taking home a goat, silver medals and jerseys.

The runners-up also supplied two individual award winners, with Norbert Klits named Best Goalkeeper and Marvin Carie Best Defender. Both received their gongs and footballs in recognition of their performances.

Rashid Simon Tugonza of Katafali claimed the Golden Boot with six goals, while Zubeda Karungi of Kahaara was named Best Fan.

Katafali completed the podium with a 5-1 victory over Kijenga United in the third-place play-off. After Wilson Taremwa had given Kijenga an early lead, Johnson Ayesiga and Julius Assimwe scored twice each before Brian Isingoma added the fifth.

The quarter-finals had also produced competitive encounters, with Kahaara edging K.B United 1-0, Katafali eliminating Basuubuzi on penalties after a goalless draw, Kijenga defeating Kiryana 2-1 and Creamland overcoming Goroora United on penalties following another 0-0 stalemate.

Community Tradition: Village elders and the visiting dignitaries inspected the teams before play, bringing a touch of local tradition and community oversight to the football occasion. — **Community Tradition:** Village elders and the visiting dignitaries inspected the teams before play, bringing a touch of local tradition and community oversight to the football occasion.

Match officials were also recognised, receiving certificates and referee kits comprising whistles, caution cards and card holders.

More than 90 minutes

While the football provided the main attraction, the crowds around the AFSEC playground offered a glimpse of the tournament's wider community value.

Families, supporters and residents turned out in large numbers, creating a lively trading environment for grocery sellers and roadside vendors dealing in food, refreshments and other items.

The activity illustrated how community sport can provide small businesses with an opportunity to reach customers while giving residents a shared space to interact.

Ball Game: Kijenga and Katafali battle for possession in the fiercely contested bronze match. — **Ball Game:** Kijenga and Katafali battle for possession in the fiercely contested bronze match.

For the Aliguma Foundation, the tournament also offered an opportunity to open its sports facility to the wider community and demonstrate its potential as a meeting point for sport, education and local development.

Mukoiko's organisational touch

Behind the competition was a team of organisers and community mobilisers who helped bring the tournament to life.

Ismail Mukoiko, Councillor of Banda B1 Zone in Acholi Quarters, Nakawa, deserves particular recognition for his role in organising the event and ensuring it ran to script.

His experience and involvement helped bring together the participating teams and keep the competition on course, contributing to an occasion that attracted strong community support.

Local leaders, religious representatives, elders, police and other invited guests also attended, adding to the sense of community ownership.

Partners behind the vision

The tournament was part of a wider anniversary programme that brought together the Aliguma Foundation's two central pillars of education and sport.

The Foundation acknowledged the support of the UEFA Foundation for Children, the US Department of State's Global Sports Mentorship Programme (GSMP), in partnership with the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, and the Chocho Sports Foundation, founded by Chocho Immaculate.

Man Of The Moment: Kahaara's goal scorer Kugonza aka Firmino is joined by his teammates to celebrate the final's lone strike. It earned them gold medals - arguably the first in their young football careers. — **Man Of The Moment:** Kahaara's goal scorer Kugonza aka Firmino is joined by his teammates to celebrate the final's lone strike. It earned them gold medals - arguably the first in their young football careers.

The anniversary activities also included school and community engagements focusing on inclusion, road safety and Education for Her, extending the Foundation's work beyond the academy.

Established in 2017, the Aliguma Foundation uses sport, education and enterprise to support vulnerable children, young people, women and families.

Sunny Magezi Academy, which marked its first anniversary on November 7, is an extension of that mission.

Building a lasting platform

For founder and chief executive Ritah Aliguma, the tournament reflects the Foundation's belief that sport can help young people discover their abilities, develop confidence and pursue opportunities.

Behind The Success: Banda B1 Zone Area Councillor Ismail Mukoiko (foreground)'s organising role helped keep the competition on course, bringing teams and the wider community together. — **Behind The Success:** Banda B1 Zone Area Councillor Ismail Mukoiko (foreground)'s organising role helped keep the competition on course, bringing teams and the wider community together.

Beyond recreation, its ambition is to identify promising players, nurture their talent and create pathways towards higher levels of competition, including national championships, topflight football and maybe, national-team representation.

The inaugural competition provided a platform for local players to compete before sizeable crowds, while giving the Foundation an opportunity to bring its sporting vision closer to the community.

Councillor Mukoiko said the tournament is intended to become an annual event, offering more teams and young players an opportunity to participate and showcase their talent.

Kahaara may have taken the first trophy, but the bigger prize for Kinuuma was a tournament that brought football, community and local enterprise together. The challenge now is to build on that momentum and make it a lasting tradition.