KAMPALA- Former President of the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) has died.
Current FUFA President Eng Moses Magogo announced the news on social media and then, mourned him as a man who made huge contributions to Ugandan football.
“I have just learnt of the unfortunate news of the passing on of the 24th FUFA President, Hajj Twaha Kakaire.
Many an occasion, Hajj stood tall for FUFA and Ugandan Football for the achievements we celebrate today. He is notably celebrated for having supported the birth of the FIFA Financial Assistance Programme in 1998 and also the Serie-A and Serie-B league arrangement for the Uganda Premier League
Whereas we grieve for the passing on of the football administration icon, we also celebrate his contribution to the game of football today.
Death is a must and a destiny for all of us. It is just a matter of when not if.
May the Almighty Allah judge his earthly works with mercy and strengthen those left behind to be strong in these trying times
Inalilah wa Inalilah Rajihun.”
In a Tweet, Uganda Premier League Board Chairman Arinaitwe Rugyendo credited Hajji Twaha for laying the foundation for corporate sponsorship of the top flight league in 1997.
“Hajji Twaha will be remembered for convincing Nile Breweries to bankroll the league in December 1997, probably the first corporate sponsorship in the history of the national league. MHRSP.”
Hajj Twaha Kakaire ran the football body between 1995-1998.
Kakaire is credited by many football pundits for laying the foundation for today’s FIFA grants to the Ugandan football body.
Wrote Football Commentator and veteran journalist Hassan Badru Zziwa following FIFA’s $1.5m dollar COVID-19 grant to FUFA, last year…..
“A few days ago, Fifa officially released $1.5m, about Shs 5.7bn, to Fufa as Covid-19 relief fund to end speculation over the previous grants released during the Covid-19 lockdown.
In just a few months, Fufa has got more than $3m in grants from both Fifa and Caf, solidifying the notion that football is indeed a rich sport.
Long before this kind of money started flowing into Ugandan football, Fufa used to solely rely on proceeds from the game locally with minimal government or sponsorship support. Indeed, Fufa leadership greatly struggled to keep the game alive as well as sending national teams to international engagements.
But all that changed in 1997 at the height of the fight to replace Joao Havelange as Fifa president, who nominated his secretary general Sepp Blatter at the expense of the Caf-endorsed Swede Lennart Johansson.
Back then, Issa Hayatou had a firm grip on Caf and any deviation from his view invited tough sanctions. So, there was general consensus that Johansson, who had the full backing of Europe, would be the winner. Well, that was until Havelange and Blatter devised a way to penetrate Caf regional clusters like Cecafa, which had 11 countries.
On two separate occasions in Nairobi and Kigali, Blatter clandestinely met the Cecafa leadership led by chairman Job Omino and Sammy Obingo, the general secretary, with a huge promise of financial support of $1m over four years if elected.
Hajji Twaha Kakaire, the Fufa chairman, couldn’t believe what he heard and immediately passed a motion to root for Blatter in spite of threats of reprisals from Hayatou.
This impending financial boost helped Kakaire convince Nile Breweries to come on board to bankroll the league in December 1997, the first sponsorship in the history of the national league.
These were bold moves that would forever change the financial status of Fufa because when it came to the ballot in June 1998, Blatter defeated Johannson with 111 votes to 80. In other words, it can be argued that the Cecafa block vote for Blatter swung the pendulum in his favour.
After the vote, an incensed Hayatou immediately suspended Omino and Obingo indefinitely and also suspended the Cecafa tournament scheduled later that year.
Caf’s intimidating measures didn’t seem to bother Kakaire, whose executive had already finished drafting the 1999 football roadmap in anticipation of Blatter’s Fifa annual promise of $250,000.
However, there was the important matter of Fufa elections that he had to overcome in December 1998. Denis Obua had done enough ground work through mainly clubs to unseat Kakaire, who greatly despised the former’s potential.
But come D-day, Obua edged Kakaire to triumph with 67 votes to the latter’s 61. It was an anti-climactic end for Kakaire because it was Obua’s new Fufa executive that received the $250,000 just a week later.
Indeed, Obua enjoyed a downhill task because of the Fifa money and the Nile Special sponsorship he found in place. It is worth noting that this annual grant, often dubbed the Goal project, has been increasing over the years and kick-started several Fufa projects such as Fufa house, Njeru technical centre, and various artificial turfs.
Recently, it has helped Fufa expand its offices at Mengo as well as the Kadiba project. The irony in all this is that Kakaire, the architect of the move, paid dearly in Caf as well as in Fufa.
So, I am not simply glorifying Kakaire but he should be recognised for laying a foundation which has resulted in the financial empowerment of the national federation.”