Kezekiah shaped Cecafa, Express

Kezekiah Segwanga Musisi, one of the most decorated administrators in Ugandan football, died on February 4 after succumbing to diabetes. He was 89.

As far as Ugandan football is concerned, few people have shaped the sport like Kezekiah, who was a central figure in the formative years during the sixties. A former Fufa, Cecafa and National Council of Sports (NCS) boss, Kezekiah is up there among the most influential people along with departed souls such as Henry Balamaze Lwanga, Pollycarp Kakooza, Joseph ‘Jolly Joe’ Kiwanuka, Francis Nyangweso, Prince Badru Kakungulu and Jimmy Bakyayita Semugabi, among others.

I last met him physically in 2009, shortly after he was diagnosed with diabetes, but have always kept close contact with him due to his unmatched historical perspective of Ugandan football. He was one of my key reference persons up until he passed on.

Naturally humourous and outspoken, Kezekiah was also an extremely shrewd individual and always had a story or tale to tell, many of which he never shared with the media during his active days. He loved a fierce debate, especially one that is thought-provoking.

This was a result of his vast experience, having been one of the few people to hold sway in football as well as politics at the same time. Indeed, Kezekiah rose to prominence through political activism in the fifties as one of the UPC youth wing members and by the sixties, had become one of the influential politicians.

However, his passion for football got him in touch with Jolly Joe, who had just started Express FC in 1959. Jolly Joe appointed Kezekiah club vice president and also handed him the mandate to oversee Express’ feeder side Nakivubo Boys. That set in motion Kezekiah’s long career in the sport.

He would join mainstream football administration in 1967 after he was elected chairman of the Kampala and District Football League (KDFL), the only football league in the country at the time.

The advent of Fufa and the National Football League in 1968 eclipsed the KDFL and relegated it to become the second. But just three years later, Kezekiah assumed the top administration position when he was appointed Fufa chairman in 1971. He replaced army man Verian Ochima, who was in acting capacity, following the resignation of Balamaze.

He would later play a key role in the 1973 formation of Cecafa and stamped his authority by ensuring Uganda hosted the inaugural 1973 tournament, which The Cranes won. But before that, he had to use his Fufa influence to save his out-of-sorts Express team that was on the verge of relegation after the demise of Jolly Joe.

Kezekiah called off league action to allow Fufa prepare for the Cecafa tournament. The success of the maiden Cecafa tournament opened the door for his election as Cecafa chairman in 1974 and he straightaway oversaw the creation of the Cecafa Club championship.

By now, Kezekiah was the most powerful man in the region and that didn’t go down well in some circles. Critics questioned his commitment to the development of grassroots football when he is always on the move.

The situation reached boiling point in January 1975 while Kezekiah was on Cecafa duty in Tanzania. Col Nasur Abdullah, an all-powerful state official at the time, seized the moment to sack Kezekiah for the flimsiest of reasons. Nasur cited Kezekiah’s absence at a league game for the decision and appointed referee George Wamala Katumba, who just happened to be seated near him, as Kezekiah’s interim replacement.

Kezekiah would relinquish the Cecafa position at the end of the year to concentrate on Express, where he was a board member. He also remained a key player in Cecafa, where he was an executive committee member.

Nasur would return to haunt him in February 7, 1977 when the army man banned the Red Eagles. He kept a low profile thereafter but a change of government in 1979 offered him an opportunity to revive his career in football administration.

His first task was the revival of Exrpess, which he vehemently fought to have back straight in the top tier, much against the wishes of Fufa. In 1981, an opportunity arose in NCS when the top seat fell vacant. Renowned for his savvy mobilisation skills, Kezekiah was elected NCS chairman and immediately introduced fresh polls in all sports associations to end the era of appointees.

This paved way for Peter Abe to become Fufa chairman to replace Steven Ibale. It was around this time that I got his eye because of his exceptional knack of sharing information, however controversial it was.

He always had a comment for any question yet, surprisingly, he always shied away from mentioning or attacking anyone by name. This made him a popular figure among neutrals due to his habit of toeing the middle line but he was also criticised in some sections for lack of decisiveness. 

However, his NCS influence waned in 1982 when the sports docket fell under new minister James Rwanyarare, who reversed the decision of holding elections in sports bodies.

Kezekiah’s NCS deputy Caleb Babihuga was appointed to take over from fired Abe and a year later, Rwanyarare turned guns on Kezekiah himself, replacing him with Patrick Masete Kuuya.

From then on, Kezekiah quit the unpredictable nature of local sports administration to tie himself down on Express and Cecafa, where he wielded immense influence.

In the following years, he was known to work behind the scenes as a kingmaker. A case in point is the 1985 Express revolution that brought in Patrick Kiwanuka as club chairman.

Throughout his career, his biggest criticism was trying to appease everyone and not taking firm stands. In 1986, he became caught up in the centre of controversy at Express FC when the breakaway faction led by Hajji Abdul Kasujja named him as one of the masterminds of the newly-formed KK Cosmos FC.

Days later, Kezekiah reaffirmed his loyalty to Express, saying at the time that the club was his clan. Again in April 1997, he and Kassim Buyondo broke the leadership stalemate at the club when they masterminded the election of Meddie Sebaggala as club boss in absentia.

In 1999, he faced his sternest test during the Cecafa Under-20 tournament in Nairobi after Ugandan star Hussein Mbalangu was found to be overage. Faced with an automatic expulsion following evidence that Mbalangu had played professional football in Kenya as way back as 1989, Kezekiah overruled the Cecafa disciplinary committee and argued that Mbalangu acted alone in falsifying his age and therefore there was no need to expel Uganda. The Hippos went on to finish runner-up in the tournament. 

From then on, the ageing Kezekiah stopped being active and often delegated his Cecafa roles even though he had been inducted as a life member.

A motor accident in 2008 forced doctors to cut off one of his legs and left him confined to a wheelchair since. It was around this time that he was diagnosed with diabetes, which he has battled till death.

bzziwa@observer.ug

The author is operations director of The Observer Media Ltd.