Cricket

Uganda’s 1st ICC Match: The Innings that changed the fortunes of a Nation and Player

Published

3 months ago

July 1, 2026

Bryce Mullins

ICC Trophy 2001 – Canada
Uganda 223/8 beat Malaysia 159 all out by 64 runs
Full Scorecard: https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/icc-trophy-2001-61178/malaysia-vs-uganda-66801/live-cricket-score

In 2001, Uganda featured at the ICC Trophy for the first time as an associate team.

To connect backwards, Uganda used to compete as part of the East and Central Zone that featured the best talent from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia. Therefore, only one or two players would get the opportunity at international cricket, with the zonal side mostly dominated by Kenyan players. Their appearance at the 1975 World Cup in England gave the opportunity to Sam Walusimbi, alongside the late John Nagenda.

However, in 2001, a rare opportunity availed itself for a talented generation of Ugandan cricketers who, for a long time, had never had a crack as a unit at an ICC event, even if they had played as Uganda in non-ICC events.

The side was stacked with experienced players led by John Lubia alongside the likes of Richard Mwami, and Henry Okecho, but with the youth of Junior Kwebiiha, Lawrence Ssematimba, Frank Nsubuga, Joel Olweny, Keith Legesi, Richard Okia and Kenneth Kamyuka.

The late Charles Lwanga, Simon Nsubuga, Benjamin Musoke and Tendo Mbazzi had been around the set-up and knew how to deliver.

A win against a richly talented Irish team in the warm-up games was a signal of things to come, but it’s in the game against Malaysia that a certain Uganda became a favourite for the West Indian community in Toronto, Canada.

Uganda won the toss and elected to bat first. A minimal top order contribution in collaboration with a middle order collapse, left Uganda railing at 99/8. Richard Mwami, playing a lone ranger inning, was joined by 18-year-old Kenneth Kamyuka.

Kamyuka was known for his reputation of hitting the ball very, very far, but his partner asked him to play with caution so that they could score at least 130 in their quota of 50 overs.

“I was mainly picked as a bowler, but loved hitting the ball far. I had been sitting on the bench watching us collapse despite a good start, and that upset me because I felt let down as a bowler; we wouldn’t have enough to bowl at,” says Kamyuka.

“When I joined Mwami, he told me to be cautious, but I reminded him that Malaysia had been so good in their warm-ups and anything less than 250 wasn’t going to bother them. We agreed to disagree that I would be cautious, but deep down, I had made up my mind to go big or go home.

“I struggled against the first 3 balls, but once I saw some air on the fourth, I lost the first ball from that carnage. Mwami told me please calm down, let’s hang around but I had made my mind that anything in my zone is going,” Kamyuka recalls.

If a team is eight wickets down, usually the assumption is that the tail enders will enjoy a few hits but can’t sustain the hitting, so Malaysia still felt they were in the game even after a couple of hits from Kamyuka.

“I joined Mwami when he had 15 runs, and he finished on 21, so he added just six runs while we were together, but most importantly, he stayed with me for 17 overs for us to get to that total.

“I wouldn’t have gotten that century if it weren’t for him. On the final ball, there was just the one run since I hit the ball down the ground trying to dig out a yorker, but while passing each other, Mwami was committed to the double, and despite my resistance, he ran and came back to the danger end, puts in a dive to bring up my century.

“I would have been happy with 99 not out since I knew we had a decent total for us to defend with the kind of bowling line-up we had.”

Kenneth Kamyuka announced himself on the global stage with a swashbuckling 100 not out off 54 balls littered with eight maximums and four boundaries. The century was celebrated even in Kampala despite the lack of real-time ICC TV visuals.

I remember the prince of Malaysia greeting me after the game for my performance and the late AK Lutaaya plus my manager Raju gave me some nice dollars and as an 18-yea-old, I wasn’t very smart with money so I just took the boys out that night and we had a great time.

Kenneth Kamyuka, former Cricket Cranes all rounder

Uganda went on to finish unbeaten in the group, picking up wins against France, East Africa Combined team, Israel and Argentina, but fell to the UAE in the next round.

Canada will always be remembered for that knock from a number 10 that left a stain in so many people’s memories and also announced the arrival of a future superstar.

Uganda has since played at a World Cup in 2024 in the West Indies, but the journey for the Cricket Cranes on that path started in 2001 in Canada, when a group of talented players made sure that the country got noticed.

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Cricket

ILT20: Cricket Cranes back to winning ways against Sierra Leone

Published

2 weeks ago

September 15, 2026

Bryce Mullins

Game 5: ILT20 Cup Rwanda
Result: Uganda 56/2 beat Sierra Leone 55 all out by 8 wickets

Uganda’s Cricket Cranes got back to winning ways in a routine win against the Patriots of Sierra Leone at the start of the second round of the ILT20 Cup in Kigali.

Sierra Leone won the toss and elected to bat first. The Cricket Cranes made some changes to their playing XI, with Fahad Mutagana, Ronald Lutaaya and Enock Kasaija getting a crack ahead of Juma Miyaji, Cosmas Kyewuta and Charles Mushemeza.

Mutagana made his T20I debut; he was playing his first game of the tournament with Ronald Lutaaya.

Sierra Leone was no match for the Ugandan bowling; the part-time spin of Gerald Olipa (3/1) was the pick of the bowlers, with the support of Joseph Baguma (2/11), Kenneth Waiswa (2/8) and Enock Kasaija (2/8).

In the run chase, Anas Baig failed against the same opposition and the same bowler, George Sesay, but his opening partner, Robinson Obuya (20), carried his bat despite losing debutant Fahad Mutagana (10). Gerald Olipa (21 not out) knocked off the other requirement to bring up a fourth win for Team Uganda inside seven overs.

The win keeps Uganda in second place in the five-nation tournament that will see the top 2 sides competing in the final.

Uganda will take on Botswana tomorrow morning.

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Cricket

U19 Star Kenneth Isiiko’s all round brilliance lights up UG20 in Jinja

Published

2 weeks ago

September 14, 2026

Kenny Malone

Fresh from hoisting the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Africa Division 2 Qualifier trophy in Kigali, Rwanda, Baby Cricket Cranes prodigy Kenneth Isiiko has wasted no time making headlines back home, turning in a masterclass performance for Jinja Association of Cricket Clubs (JACC) in the ongoing UG20 tournament at the Jinja SSS Cricket Ground.

Isiiko, who contributed crucial runs including a resilient 12 against Sierra Leone during Uganda’s triumphant unbeaten run in Rwanda alongside teammates like Larry Elton Itaagi and Felix Ochan, put on a show of resilience during a dramatic double-header against the Mukono Warriors.

The morning fixture saw the Mukono Warriors extend their formidable form with a clinical 33-run victory over JACC. Batting first, the Warriors carved out 116/9 in their allotted 20 overs, anchored by Musa Majid Ramathan’s top score of 35.

Isiiko proved to be a thorn in the Warriors’ side with the ball, spearheading the JACC bowling attack with a stellar three-wicket haul. However, the JACC batting lineup faltered in the chase, bundled out for 83 in 16.5 overs despite Aaron Kusasira’s resistance with 18. Robert Ajuna stole the show for the Warriors with an economical and devastating spell of 3/13, earning the morning Player of the Match accolade.

Unfazed by the morning setback, JACC exacted sweet revenge in the afternoon encounter, edging the Warriors by three wickets in a nail-biting finish. Opting to bat first, Mukono Warriors posted a competitive 126/9, driven by Alpesh Mepani (27) and Arjun Keshwala (21), as JACC bowlers Sowobi Yunus, Oyaga Sadam, and Shabir Ullah shared the spoils with two wickets apiece.

What followed was the Isiiko show. Chasing 127, the young sensation anchored the innings with a magnificent, match-winning 43, ably supported by an unbeaten 31 from Yunus as JACC crossed the line at 129/7 with just two balls to spare.

Even though Ankur Thakur fought valiantly for Mukono Warriors with three wickets, Isiiko’s brilliance with the bat carried JACC across the finish line, rightfully earning him the afternoon Player of the Match honours and cementing his status as one of Ugandan cricket’s brightest rising talents.

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Cricket

Ssempijja shows class as Tornado split series

Published

2 weeks ago

September 14, 2026

Kenny Malone

Lawrence Ssempijja still has the luxury Steven Tikolo no longer enjoys: the chance to lace up, walk onto the field and influence a cricket match.

A few days ago in Rwanda, Cricket Cranes coach Tikolo organised Uganda beat Sierra Leone in the morning by 114 runs at the ILT20 Continent Cup before his native Kenya faced Rwanda in the afternoon.

Having retired from playing, he could only watch as his former side took the field with the will to play. At the Florida Oval, Ssempijja was still in the thick of the action.

The Tornado Cricket Club all-rounder starred in the morning before Soroti City CC hit back in the afternoon, leaving the two sides locked at 1-1 after a demanding Group A double-header in the 2026 Men’s UG20.

“The weather was good for cricket, no rain; we had the sun the whole day, so we managed to play cricket the whole day and played some good cricket,” Ssempijja said.

“We managed to at least scoop one out of two, so we went 1-1, which is good for us, so we will be able to fight the next coming matches.”

Ssempijja was the difference in the morning, winning Player of the Match after an unbeaten 32 off 18 balls.

He then switched roles with the ball, claiming three wickets for 21 runs in four overs as Tornado defended 131 for five to beat Soroti City by 12 runs.

Soroti City managed 119 for eight in 20 overs, but the visitors returned with a response in the afternoon, winning by 60 runs to ensure the day ended all square.

For Ssempijja, the split was a fair reflection of a competitive day.

“It was a tough competition,” he said, but insisted Tornado had enough to build on heading into the next matches.

The 2026 Cricket Uganda National 50 Over League season has already shown his value to Tornado. He smashed 80 off 70 balls against Mukono Development on March 15, scored an unbeaten 27 off 43 against Jinja SS CC on April 12 and made 21 off 34 against Centurion CC on March 22.

The right-handed batter and right-arm medium-fast bowler has also remained active away from the crease, helping develop Uganda’s next generation through Cricket Uganda’s regional programmes.

He regularly conducts coaching clinics in Masaka, including at Buddu Mixed Secondary School and Masaka SSS, and has previously served as acting assistant coach of the Victoria Pearls.

But at Florida Oval, there was no clipboard or coaching manual. Ssempijja was simply a cricketer doing what cricketers do: batting, bowling and competing. And unlike Tikolo, he still gets to feel the game from inside the boundary.

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