Omedi-mum bond is an abounding love

An incoming call flashed on his phone screen and his face - still showing signs of jetlag - suddenly broke into a gentle, warm smile only reserved for a love so abounding. 

“It was mum,” Omedi narrated to this writer, “It was a special call from someone special and I had to honour her request, even if I was tired.”

Omedi’s Lango Province had a crucial Fufa Drum semi-final first leg game against West Nile in Lira the following day.

The entire region - not least his mum - would fly him to Northern Uganda if it came to that. It was that serious!

“You have to come,” Omedi’s 58-year-old mother, Grace Akole, in a rather urgent - yet - caring voice, encouraged him, “I know you are tired but please come. We want to celebrate with you.”

Well-coordinated

Omedi could hear some voices in the background - as if propping mum on, as if reassuring her she was doing her cajoling job just fine.

“I was still contemplating but after that call, I made up my mind. I said, ‘mum, I’m coming’.”

It was a well-coordinated move. An advance team from Lira was even at Entebbe Airport to pick Omedi when the Cranes landed at around midday, some three hours before mum’s special phone call came through.

“They wanted to pick me straight from the airport to Lira, but I told them I had to at least first go back to school.” 

Omedi is pursuing a diploma in nursing at Mulago School of Nursing and Midwifery. 

Anyway, at about midnight of Sunday morning - the Fufa Drum first leg semi final matchday; the able team that was tasked with delivering Omedi to Lira at all costs set off with their prized asset in a private car.

In his estimation, Omedi managed to steal at least three hours of sleep on this usually under five-hour journey from Kampala - via Karuma.

It was all worth it

“But we spent way more hours. The jam in Kawempe was too much. We finally arrived at Lira Hotel at around 5-6am.

“Mum of course never slept. She kept her phone on. Immediately we reached Lira City, she called me and I told her we had arrived well. That is when she slept.”

The city was abuzz with locals bracing for the match later in the day. Match Time at Lira’s Akii Bua Stadium and the trouble was all worth it!

Omedi scored all the two goals as Lango took the first leg advantage by beating West Nile 2-0. 

West Nile did win the return leg 1-0 but Omedi’s first leg goals proved the difference. Lango will face Busoga in the final.

Mum and Kitara fixtures

However, beyond mum’s nudging, you cannot miss the boy's hunger, whose love for his province and his people is also self-confessed. 

The above especially when you consider that three of West Nile stars, who returned from the national team duty in Egypt with Omedi at the same time, missed their province’s first leg.

They all played the return leg, which West Nile won, but it was a little too late as Omedi had already done the damage in their absence.

Of course Omedi’s mum witnessed it all as her son did the province proud after the expedited ‘evacuation’ from Kampala.

Actually, now she does not miss her son’s matches. “I bought her a TV, now she watches all my games,” said a smiling Omedi, the humble pride in his voice inescapable.

“Now she has all the fixtures for Kitara FC. She is very updated.” By the time of writing this piece, Omedi’s mum was not just enjoying the fixtures, but table standings, too.

Promoted to the top flight this season, Kitara are the pride of the Kitara Region.

They are a breath of fresh air, too, for football fans who would love for the national league title to be won by a side outside of Kampala and surroundings for the first time in aeons.

Defunct Nile Breweries, formerly based in Jinja, are the last upcountry club to win the national title in 1980.

Remaining grounded

But now with 21 matches played and eight left, two upcountry teams in Kitara of Hoima and Bul of Jinja are once again giving romantics some beautiful dreams.

Kitara top standings on 43 points, four ahead of Bul. NEC are third on 37 points, with defending champions, Vipers - who had the opportunity to return to third in a clash against KCCA yesterday, on 35.

However, Omedi’s coach at Kitara, Brian Ssenyondo, is not getting carried away. At least not yet.

“We have to stick to the target (of top five finish),” Ssenyondo earlier told this newspaper, “The next games will determine.

“We can’t get carried away with the current status. For example, only one point (four now) separates us from Bul, Vipers have games in hand. It’s still too early to talk about the title.

“Even the top five is not guaranteed yet. We have to keep focused and see what happens.”

Omedi, who says Ssenyondo is like a dad to him because of how he has treated him since the two connected at Kitara at the start of this season, agrees with his coach’s synopsis.

“We know things can change,” said Omedi, who was snapped up by Kitara at the beginning of this season after finishing last campaign as Big League top scorer with 22 goals at Booma FC.

“We are expecting challenges. Every game is tougher than the previous one.

“But at least one thing for sure is that everyone is motivated to keep going.”

Among the scalps Kitara have claimed along their impressive journey are SC Villa (four points in the league and last 16 Uganda Cup elimination), KCCA (league double) and Express (first leg win).

Omedi, who has scored 11 of Kitara’s 37 league goals and one in the Uganda Cup, Paddy Muhumuza, Jude Ssemugabi, Paul Mucureezi and Frank Tumwesigye are some of the quality players lifting the Hoima/Masindi side.

It is not all smooth sailing for Omedi, however, as the striker has to balance his books and playing football. 

“It’s hard,” he admits, “After matches in Kampala, I remain at school for some days and squeeze out what I can of what I missed. I try to catch up. 

“When at school, I make sure I’m present. Then I have to travel in between matches.”

Whirlwind of a year

But Omedi, who had given up on football in his early years only to be given another lease of life by one Fred Arinaitwe - a then Booma FC coach, is quick to emphasise he is not complaining.

“I am grateful it has finally turned out well.” From leading Big League scoring charts, joining and shooting Kitara to the top of standings, to earning his first call-up to the senior national team, Omedi couldn’t have asked for more. 

He got his first Cranes call-up last October when Morley Byekwaso - then interim senior national team coach - named him for two friendlies against Mali and Zambia.

The striker came on as a second half substitute against Mali in Bamako in a game Uganda lost 1-0.

“We had just played URA in the league when our media officer told me the news that I had made the squad for the national team,” Omedi narrated.

“I was very excited. Nothing beats representing your country. It’s a big motivational factor for me.

“Putting on the national team jersey was exciting, but it also came with pressure. I thank God that now I’m calm with it.

“Of course the first person I called when I got news of the national team call-up was mum,” Omedi, whose dad passed on in 2016, shared.

“She told me she had a dream about something like that, but that it wasn't very clear. Now it made sense. She blesses me.” 

Relationship with Obua

The Kitara striker has a number of people he looks up to and listens to.

Former Cranes striker, Geoffrey Massa, who is part of the national team technical set-up, is one of those.

“He keeps talking to me, encouraging and advising me on how to improve,” he said of Massa.

“The other one is of course David Obua.” Obua is a former Cranes captain and currently head coach of URA. He also coached Omedi at Lango Province.

It was Dan Obote who first told Obua, “use this boy” in 2019. “Obua then called me for a game between Buganda and Lango. But I didn’t play. He just told me, ‘watch’,” explained Omedi.

“After that, we had a game against Ankole Province. The night before the game, Obua called me and said: ‘My son, tomorrow, you lead the whole of Lango.’

“I didn’t sleep that night. I was too overjoyed. Fortunately, we won the game 3-0. I scored one goal and Timothy Awany and Moses Aliro scored the others.”

Omedi now doesn’t want the song to end. Hell yes! We also love the rhythm. But turn it further up. 

At a glance

Name: Denis Omedi

Age: 27

Current club: Kitara

Goals: 10 in the league, 1 in Uganda Cup

Former club: Booma FC

Milestone: Big League top scorer with 22 goals

Province: Lango

Goals: 4 in 2023/4 Fufa Drum

National team: Uganda

Debut: vs Mali, Oct 13, 2023