Handball gave Davis Kamoga a wife

“Human mountain”. That is the best way to describe Davis Kamoga Kyeyune. He boasts of an intimidating 6’1” physique, his shoulders are broad, he has a firm handshake and your eyes cannot miss his titanic feet. Basically, everything about him is huge. At 61, Kamoga is still firm and he walks as fast as a teenager.
With that background, you get to see where his ‘Bomber’ nickname came from. His scorching shots, off those feet, tore nets and left goalkeepers stuck. Ironically, save for that intimidating background, Kamoga is as gentle as they come.

From goalkeeper to star striker
As a young boy at Najja Primary School in Buikwe District, Kamoga’s peers told him to tender the goal because of his physique.
“They feared facing me upfront because I was bigger and taller, so they decided that I become the goalkeeper,” he recalls.
Kamoga spent his early career as a goalkeeper until one day in 1974 as a student of Mathematics and Sports Science/Physical Education at Kyambogo National Teacher’s College (currently Kyambogo University). Everything changed when Kyambogo faced Bata FC in a friendly match.
“In that game, my teammates failed to score. I got bored in the goal and called someone to stand in for me. I went upfront and scored two quick goals,” he laughs, heartily.
That marked the beginning of his career as a striker that made him one of the most dreaded forwards in East Africa.

Kamoga the striker
As a striker, he scored goals for fun. Truthfully, he admits, most of those goals came because of his physique. “My skills on the ball were laughable. I knew I had to rely on my body, not skills. So whenever I got a chance to shoot, the defenders and goalkeeper would be in trouble. For me, the trick was to hit the ball as ferociously as I could, because I had the power in my feet,” he boasts.

By then, he had started training with Uganda Transportation Company (UTC FC) and a number of big clubs were taking note. At the start of the 1979 season, Kamoga joined giants KCC and the national team, the Uganda Cranes.
“The Cranes used to camp at Kyambogo. Mister (Bidandi Ssali), who was KCC and Cranes manager, had seen me playing for Kyambogo and got impressed. Besides, I had seen many KCC players, so somehow it was easy to choose KCC ahead of other clubs,” he recalls.

At a star-studded KCC, Kamoga was tasked with scoring goals. And he didn’t disappoint.
“I had a terrific understanding with Godfrey ‘Superstar’ Kateregga and I scored many goals from his timely crosses,” adds Kamoga.
Kamoga had started teaching at Kibuli Secondary School and could move from Kibuli to Lugogo every day, for training, which he says was tasking.
“I knew I had to work hard on both fronts. In fact, I think I was the only footballer at KCC that had a profession. Being a teacher, it earned me respect from my teammates. It is because of my education status that they nicknamed me ‘Kojja’ (uncle),” he adds.

Net-bursting bomber
During a league game against UCB in 1979, Kamoga scored a hat-trick in style. His first goal left many fans agape; he hit the ball so hard that it burst the goal net!
“Yes. It’s true. I connected well with the ball and the goalkeeper couldn’t risk stopping it. People started calling me ‘Bomber’, and it has stuck with me,” he laughs out.
That season, he was the league top scorer with 19 goals. Uganda’s top goalkeepers of the time were all terrified of standing in front of him. Kamoga was only getting better and retained the top scorers’ gong in 1980 with 21 goals.
He singles out an incident when Express goal keeper Steven Ssegujja (RIP) refused to face him. “We were playing against Express and got a penalty. Moses Nsereko was our penalty taker but that day, I think he got nervous and asked me to take it. Ssegujja protested that he was only ready to be in the only if another player was to take it. My teammates stuck to their guns that I take it. Eventually, Ssegujja walked off the pitch!”

Not only local goalkeepers faced his wrath, but also in East Africa. During the 1981 Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup against Sudan, Kamoga fired in a thunderous free-kick that burst the net.
“Surprisingly, I was very gentle on the pitch. One time Eddie Ssemwanga (RIP) punched me but I just looked at him and moved on. He wanted me to hit back and get red-carded. But I read his motive and just laughed. After the game, he came and apologised.”
In 1982, Kamoga joined SC Villa, winning the league and Uganda Cup before joining Buikwe Red Stars. He retired in 1986 while at Cooperative FC.

Meeting his wife through handball
As a student of Sports Science/Physical Education at Kyambogo, Kamoga had to learn and participate in all sports. “It was one of the prerequisites for the course. I ended up playing for every college team; hockey, athletics, football and handball. I also tried boxing but quit after receiving a heavy punch,” he laughs.

When Kyambogo joined the national handball league in 1974, Kamoga was one of its star players. In 1975, he was called up to the national team that took part in the African Championships in Cairo, Egypt. It is there that he met Florence Kalibbala, who would later become his wife. She was on the national women’s team at the tournament. Like her husband, Kalibbala was also multi-talented.
She represented Uganda at different events. In 1968, she was part of Uganda’s athletics team at the East African Junior Championships in Kampala. She ran the 800m, 4*400m and 4*100m relays. She was also a shooter on the She Cranes team at the East African Games in 1973.

Their children are also spread across different sports disciplines. Ronald Kamoga is their most famous son, having played football for KCC FC, URA FC and Rwanda’s Atraco FC. Christopher Kamoga, their other son, played briefly in Denmark while Maria Kamoga, their daughter, plays football in the United States. Milly Kamoga, his sister, is one of the longest serving netball umpires in the country.
As a mathematics teacher at Kibuli Secondary School in 1977-2003, Kamoga introduced many sports disciplines at the school. Together with Kalibbala, they were the coaches in football, hockey, handball and netball but have since taken a rest from sports and teaching.
Kamoga also taught at Kololo Secondary School and Nakanyonyi Secondary School in Mukono. He is currently retired and lives in Ntinda.

Next week: We bring you female footballer Annet Nakimbugwe and her daughter Hasfah Nassuna, who have locked horns on the football field.

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