(L-R) Haruna Kyobe, Dr Mulindwa and Simon Sekankya
Activities I saw at St Mary’s Kitende stadium during the inaugural ‘Vipers Day’ on Saturday, July 27 were so impressive they left me a little envious as an ardent KCCA FC diehard.
For starters, Vipers held a colourful event which attracted hundreds of club fans and football enthusiasts. We were taken through a walk down memory lane as well as the strategic plans for the Venoms. The club also enjoys the corporate sponsorship of giants such as Hima Cement, Kansai Plascon, Dfcu bank as well as the Ntinda-based Hardware World.
The growing fan base at Kitende should be a worry for archrivals, especially traditional giants SC Villa, KCCA FC and Express FC, who need to double or triple their efforts in order to beat or equal the Venoms.
VIPERS DAY
Besides free drinks and eats which were in plenty, the crowd was treated to thrilling performances from top artistes like Jose Chameleone, Azawi, Gravity Omutujju, Fik Gaza and Ykee Benda, plus two friendly matches which saw Vipers legends lose 1-2 to a fans side.
Meanwhile, Vipers SC defeated visiting Kenya Police 2-0. What thrilled the crowd most was the more than five minutes of fire-works which lit up the stadium. Having taken long to attend matches at St Mary’s stadium, I found several big changes.
The floodlights alone are top-notch while the ticket booths at the entrance and turnstiles add colour to the facility. However, the challenge, as usual, remains the narrow access roads to the stadium. With such a heavy investment by the club administration, one wonders why government has not yet intervened to save the roads situation.
STRATEGIC PLANS
Dr Lawrence Mulindwa, the Vipers SC supremo, says he plans to make the club better and also expand the stadium to cater for the growing fan base.
Mulindwa adds that plans are underway to form a club academy which will tap talent, especially for the non-school-going boys. Looking at the future of the club, a confident Mulindwa says the club intends to get involved in projects like real estate and other income-generating ventures outside of football in order to make it self-sustaining.
He unveiled new Serbia tactician Nikola Kavazovic, former defender Nicholas Wadada, Kenneth Kimera, Derrick Ndahiro and Gusto Mulongo among others. Besides bringing fans and sponsors closer to the club, the occasion was also used as a reunion for club former Vipers players.
The ex-players emotionally reminisced their heyday at the club and presented Dr. Mulindwa with a special present. The presence of Richard Makumbi, the tactician who guided Bunamwaya (now Vipers) to the top-fright league in 2006, aroused wild cheers.
Mulindwa handed him a plaque and token for his services while Haruna Kyobe was recognized for his longstanding loyalty to the club. The notable ex-players who graced the occasion included Goalie Hamza Muwonge, Robert Kimuli, Ayub Kisalita, Yuda Mugalu, Habib Kavuma, Luwaga Kizito, Farouk Miya, Mike Mutyaba and Tony Ondur, among others.
WHAT MAKES VIPERS TICK?
As I stated earlier, Vipers won their first league title in 2010 and going by the club’s plans, they might soon catch up with the Big Three.
They have so far won six league titles (2009-2010, 2014-25, 2017-2018, 2019-2020, 2021-2022 and 2022-2023), three Uganda Cup trophies (2015- 2016, 2020-2021 and 2022-23) plus one Uganda Super Cup (2015).
This is not a mean achievement for a young club like Vipers and it has taken the passion and dedication of Dr Mulindwa and his team to turn around the club as a winner. This is the way to go for a top club worth the name and I hope KCCA, Express and Sc Villa are taking note.
bzziwa@observer.ug
Source: The Observer
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