The second round of the 2025/26 Uganda Premier League (UPL) season gets underway this week, on Thursday, February 12, with all 16 teams in action.
This, the match-day 16 will be highlighted by the double header at Nakivubo stadium on Saturday, February 14. First, Express will face Entebbe UPPC, while URA FC will follow with an encounter against SC Villa.
It is difficult to downplay how significant the Lugogo derby between NEC FC and KCCA FC will be at this time. The same would be said about the Bul FC clash with Vipers SC at the Fufa Technical centre in Njeru.
But that will obviously have little to do with the fact that coach Alex Isabirye, manning the Bul dugout, led Vipers to its first league and cup double in 2023. However, what remains a sticky point is how the second round kicks off, yet the game between Kitara FC and Vipers SC, which was not played in the first round, remains pending.
That fixture had been scheduled for match-day two at Namboole stadium back in September. But because, at the time, Fufa had introduced a new league format, which some clubs, led by Vipers objected to, there was an impasse in the league.
As defending champions, Vipers, did not show up for the game against Kitara in protest of the new league format. Kitara, on the other hand, appeared at Namboole. Ordinarily, the Hoima-based side should have won the game by forfeiture.
That is three goals and three points. But Fufa’s judicial bodies have never pronounced themselves on the matter, five months down the road. Simon Njuba, the Vipers’ CEO said that they have written to the UPL secretariat several letters on the matter, but they have received no response.
Eric Oron, the UPL manager said that the matter is before the Fufa ‘courts’. When asked on the matter, the Fufa president, Moses Magogo acknowledged his displeasure that this Kitara v Vipers issue has not been resolved.
He went on to say that although he appoints this judicial body, it is independent. He cannot fire it, and therefore, he has little power over it.
