Africa-Press – Uganda. Twaha Kakakire, a former president of Fufa, passed on yesterday following illness at the age of 76. He served as a football administrator in many positions, becoming president in 1995.
His reign lasted three years, during which his most significant achievement was joining forces with other FA presidents across the world to secure the ‘Fifa Goal Project’ in 1998.
New dawn
It is through that ‘Goal Project’ that the global body, Fifa, then led by Sepp Blatter as president, funded the construction of the current Fufa House and Njeru Technical Centre.
Also during his reign, backed by vibrant national football league, Fufa secured its first major sponsorship from Nile Breweries Limited, under the Nile Special brand in 1997.
Earlier this year, the Real Stars Awards franchise honoured him with a Lifetime Achievement accolade for his service to the game going back to the late 1960s.
Rise
Kakaire was among the pioneers of a team called Jinja Youngsters. In 1978, Jinja Youngsters merged with Nytil and Kakaire became the club’s team manager.
This is the team that discovered one of Uganda’s most lethal strikers in Issa Sekatawa. In 1984, Kakaire assumed the club chairmanship.
He was soon elected Jinja District Football Association chairman before becoming vice chairman of Eastern region football association and finally chairman. In 1989, Kakaire became Fufa delegate for Jinja district. Fufa, headed by John Semanobe, was dissolved in 1992 and Kakaire to become a prominent figure.
In the rearranged polls of December 1992, he was elected vice chairman (administration). He resigned in 1993 after Fufa failed to account for gate collections for a game between Uganda and Nigeria.
The federation was dissolved. Kakaire became president unopposed following elections in 1995.
Kakaire took over when the federation was heavily indebted but Shs70m on the Fufa account in 1998.
Fall
The fighting between clubs, under then-powerful National Football League, and Fufa defined most of his years.
Consequently, ex-footballers, led by Denis Obua wanted him out. It also had Semanobe and Michael Okiror as its financial backer.
Kakaire always accused the National Council of Sports (NCS) of interference and moved the Fufa from Lugogo to a rental space in town.
Riding on a wave of dissatisfaction, accusing Kakaire of neglecting national teams and presiding over declining standards, Obua threw his hat into the ring for the 1998 elections.
Obua polled 67 to beat Kakaire’s 61 votes. Kakaire continued to criticize subsequent federations and often stated that his contribution was never appreciated enough.
Kakaire never attempted to return to a federation which he moved from a container in Lugogo to a storeyed building in the Mengo surburb.
