In the 2023/2024 season, SC Villa edged Bul FC and Vipers SC to win the Uganda Premier League title by just two points.
However, as things stand today, all indications show it is a two horse race between red-hot favourites Vipers SC and army side NEC Njeru-based BUL, the unpredictable Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) FC and Kitara FC technically have a chance to catch up with the league leaders but the trio would have to pray that the runaway leaders falter in their remaining fixtures.
VEK CLUBS ON THE DOWNHILL
The once formidable VEK umbrella (SC Villa, Express and KCCA) is crumbling at a worrying rate. On the weekend, the three giants lost their fixtures. KCCA was walloped 0-4 by Kitara in Hoima, SC Villa lost 0-1 to BUL, while Express was beaten 0-1 by Maroons. KCCA is currently lying sixth on the 16-team log, while defending champions SC Villa remain glued in the eighth position and collected just 30 points.
Express is placed ninth, having amassed just 28. It is very clear the VEK clubs are no longer dominant as they used to be in the past. The case in point is Express FC, whose players boycotted training sessions for four days due, reportedly, to five months of unpaid salaries and allowances.
Express has won two league titles in nine years; this is absurd for the team which won a major trophy every season between 1991 and 1997. As if that is not bad enough, the Red Eagles were also known for being a club with a big following, but these days, the club is playing with almost empty terraces at Hamz stadium.
Until last season’s heroics, SC Villa, on its part, had spent 24 years without a title. The 17-time league champions seem to lack leaders who have passion as they did during the club’s dominant periods.
The Jogoos current leadership, headed by Omar Ahmed Mandela, the man who used to recruit top players and paid the players and staff handsomely, seems to have lost it. The Villa Park side is losing the club’s best players and tacticians without putting up a fight.
The club fans have been left to lament about a club which used to lead and others follow. KCCA, on its part, last lifted the league title in 2019 under Mike Mutebi. Since then, the Lugogo side has been just mere participants. Yes, players are paid on time, but several technical issues continue to block their progress.
A team of KCCA’s calibre ought to have proper structures. Besides having a weak board in place, the club seems to lack crucial personnel. And to make matters worse, the club parted ways with Aggrey Ashaba, the man who had helped to link the board and the technical team.
The struggles of the onetime traditional Big-Three have allowed Vipers to enjoy unrivalled success in recent years. The Venoms are the only side in the country which can be classified as a club due to its setup. Besides the stadium (St Mary’s stadium), the club has managed to mobilise fans and sponsors and created a youth set-up, which will help to shape the club’s future.
In the last 15 years, the Venoms have lifted six league titles plus three Uganda Cup trophies. So, at this point of abeyance by the VEK teams, NEC, BUL and URA have what it takes to break into the elite status. BUL have already tested some success following their Uganda Cup victory in 2022 after defeating Vipers 3-1; so, this should motivate the club to go for big titles.
The parent company, BIDCO Uganda Limited has helped BUL fill the void left by the folding of top teams in Jinja. Meanwhile, going by the past two seasons, NEC FC is well facilitated and might be able to put up a stiff challenge for many years to come.
On the other hand, URA may be well-positioned financially but may need an administrator of Ali Sekatawa’s calibre to turn it into a trophy-chasing side. Kitara, the last of the new contenders, has the vibe but the problem is that the Hoima-based side lacks stable finances. Last season, Kitara beat Vipers to the Uganda Cup title.
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