Arthur Bukenya: referee who dared to handle tricky games 

Sunday, April 2 will mark 12 years since former Fifa referee Arthur Yiga Bukenya succumbed to cancer. He was 40 years old.

His strictness when dealing with stubborn players won him fans’ hearts and a super-fit style of keeping up with play. And because of his impartiality, he was always entrusted with handling tricky fixtures, especially those involving Villa, Express and KCC.

FOLLOWING IN DAD’S FOOTSTEPS

Born on November 27, 1971, Bukenya, qualified as a Grade III referee in early 1989 and went through the hands of legendary referee instructors Kizito Mubanda and Ahmed Rajab.

At the time, he was a student at Light College Katikamu. He joined refereeing mostly to emulate his late father, Edward Kenneth Bukenya, who was a top-level referee.

Bukenya Senior was set to become the first Ugandan to officiate in the 1982 World Cup but unfortunately passed away in November 1981, six months before the Spain-hosted event.

So, Bukenya Junior’s ambition was to climb all the refereeing ladders to reach the Fifa status and possibly fulfill his father’s dream to officiate at the World Cup.

RISE TO FAME

His journey to the pinnacle of football officiating kicked off with second- tier league games, where he officiated for two years before being elevated to the top flight in 1991.

His habit of dishing out yellow cards to players for simple fouls was sharply criticised by club officials, but when he gained more experience, he dropped the habit. Bukenya had the character of his late dad. He was fearless and full of energy, but his outspokenness caused problems for him on many occasions, especially with his bosses in the refereeing body.

In 1993, Bukenya had grown in stature and could handle any game. He put up a top performance in the league clash between Dairy and KCC which the former won 2-1. It was a similar turnout in the goalless draw between SC Villa and Coffee. All this showed Bukenya could not be intimidated by the big clubs.

However, the highlight of his refereeing performances came on October 23, 1993 when he was picked to officiate the league title decider between SC Villa and Express.

Before this match at Wankulukuku stadium, Fufa officials led by Twaha Kakaire conducted lots amongst four referees, from which Bukenya was picked ahead of top referees like Andrew Kintu, Ali Waiswa and Siraje Katono.

He handled the tension-packed game to the satisfaction of both teams as Express held on for a 1-1 draw before being declared the league champions.

EARNING THE FIFA BADGE

He continued to put up starring performance in more big games. There was the July 1995 league game between KCC and Express. KCC shocked the Red Eagles with a 2-1 win at Nakivubo stadium that halted the latter’s unbeaten run.

Bukenya was also centre referee when Express and SC Villa played out a goalless draw in July 1997 at Nakivubo. This was a tricky tie that many top referees turned down to officiate but Bukenya embraced it with both hands.

Remember, this match followed the infamous May 10, 1997 bloody game between the two teams at Wankulukuku. After his spectacular performance there was general consensus that he should be promoted to get the Fifa for consideration and he got it in 1998.

On February 7, 1998, Bukenya was yet again entrusted to officiate the Express and SC Villa league opener at the newly-opened Namboole stadium. Express carried the day with a 1-0 win. Bukenya made his international debut by officiating the Caf game between Ivory Coast’s Africa Sport and Gabon’s FC 105.

All through, Bukenya enjoyed a seamless rise to the top but on September 18, 1998, he tasted the wrath of angry fans during the KCC-Simba league game. Simba had a surprise 2-0 lead midway through the second half when angry KCC fans started blaming Bukenya for not giving them 50/50 opportunities.

It got worse when Bukenya red-carded KCC’s Ibrahim Sekajja and the club’s notorious Kirussia fans pelted Nakivubo pitch with stones to force the game’s abandonment. Bukenya did not budge and after a while, the match resumed and KCC failed to find a way back.

If anything, Bukenya came out of the game even stronger. In 2002, he was offered the task to referee the Bika By’Abaganda Cup final when Mpologoma outsmarted Lugave 3–2. He had an endless list of top performances for years.

However, in 2006, politics in the referees’ body reared its ugly head when Bukenya and assistant referee Ali Tomusange got dropped from the list Fufa recommended for Fifa badges. He found this too bitter a pill to swallow and called it quits for good at just 35 years.

He might not have fulfilled his dream to officiate at the World Cup, but Bukenya’s performance on the pitch was unrivaled.

bzziwa@observer.ug