George Kakaire, one of the 1962 Afcon stars, bows out 

I was devastated to learn about the passing of George William Tampa Kakaire, one of the country’s best sports administrators. The ex-international died on July 14, 2024, in his home village of Igombe in Bugweri district.

Having served in several top-level administrative positions in Ugandan football for over three decades, poor health forced Kakaire to disappear from the mainstream in the 2000s, and according to family sources, he spent final months of his life battling dementia. He was laid to rest on July 17 at Igombe, Bugweri.

For the years I worked closely with him, Kakaire was approachable and always wore an infectious smile. He loathed sloppiness. He was a workaholic and a principled gentleman, and he always stuck to his word even when it was unpopular.

No amount of pressure could force him to change his decision. He is credited with the transformation of sports at Lugogo during his tenure as National Council of Sports (NCS) general secretary.

Had Uganda had a sports hall of fame, surely Kakaire would have been among those honoured in that regard. That is why, when I received the news of his death, my heart sank for obvious reasons.

BIG-TIME FOOTBALLER

Back in the fifties, Kakaire was a top footballer at Busoga College Mwiri, where he was selected to represent the Eastern region team in the Madhavani regional cup (later renamed the Aspro Cup).

His performance earned him a slot in the Uganda national team, which featured in the 1959 Gossage Cup (later renamed the East and Central Africa Senior Challenge Cup (Cecafa Cup).

In 1961 when Uganda qualified for the 1962 Africa Cup of Nations, Kakaire was part of the team that travelled to Ethiopia. However, he had limited playing time due to the presence of top midfielders like Jimmy Bayita Semugabi and Edward Semambo.

At the time, substitutes were not allowed during the game and the selected eleven players would play the entire game. He was always joined on the reserve bench by players such as Ben Omoding, Sam Bukenya, Rustico Kasozi and goalie John Ngambeki.

JOINING NCS

Kakaire reportedly retired from football in the mid-1960s and became involved in coaching some of the second-tier teams in Jinja. However, in the early 1970s, he got a job with NCS and worked as an administrative secretary until 1977, when he was appointed NCS general secretary, replacing Martin Okoth.

He got this job at a time Idi Amin’s soldiers raided Lugogo and took up sports leadership. The all-powerful Lt Col Nasur Abdallah replaced Ernest Oluo as NCS chairman; Capt Mohammad Seruwagi replaced Era Mugisa as Fufa chairman; and Col. Sam Sule took over the leadership of the Uganda Amateur Athletics Association (UAAA).

It was not easy to work at NCS at the time because the staff there were taking orders as opposed to the 1964 NCS Act. Kakaire, being a professional and experienced sports administrator, managed to do whatever it took and did a good job.

Under him, Ugandan teams regularly participated in international engagements, including the 1978 All Africa Games in Algeria, where Uganda won 14 medals. Uganda Cranes also put on a good show at the 1978 Afcon in Ghana.

Uganda Cranes also retained the 1977 Cecafa Cup title in Somalia, while KCC won the Cecafa Cup title in Kampala. At the end of 1980, Kakaire’s contract was not renewed by the line minister Dan Wadada Nabudere.

BECOMING NILE COACH

In 1981, Kakaire returned to active sports as the sports officer for Nile Breweries Ltd. As a result, he became the automatic Nile FC head coach as per the company’s structure.

So, he replaced player/coach Naftali Mwaka, the man who had led the Brewers to the 1980 league title. Though he was a trained coach, he faced rough times, especially from players who wanted Mwaka. He laboured to win over the dressing room, but Nile remained a middle-table side.

In 1984, Kakaire was appointed the company’s communication manager, and the team was handed to former goalkeeper Patrick Lwanga and skipper Mathew Lucha.

He left Nile Breweries in the early 1990s and for some time, kept a low profile. But in 1995, he was appointed chairman of the Nakivubo stadium board of trustees, where he served up to 1999 before poor health forced him to take time off.

Unfortunately, he never returned to the limelight. So, his death is a celebration of his solid sports legacy, but more worryingly, he was one of the few selfless characters I have ever met in sport. To this day, there are few people who deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as Kakaire.

bzziwa@observer.ug