Ssebuguzi, son of a carpenter leading the Pool Cranes

A week ago, Habib Ssebuguzi was anointed to take on the mantle from the iconic Alfred ‘Black Sheep’ Gumikiriza as the Pool Cranes captain.
Ssebuguzi, a half Ugandan, half Kenyan, was born in a family of staunch Muslims. He has swash-buckled his way to household-name status in the pool fraternity since he fell in love with the sport in 2008.
Now, more than a decade on, the 29-year-old will lead the Pool Cranes on one of his most crucial outings on the green bed laid in Lusaka, Zambia.

The son of a carpenter, Ssebuguzi’s mother sold Muslim clothing such as tunic, hijab, deras, abayas, praying dresses and shawls for a living.
Ssebuguzi, the youngest of five siblings, did not have any burning desire for white collar job but wanted to become a hero. No one in his family had passion for sports and his staunch Muslim mother was unhappy when she discovered her son was playing in bars.

“Our elder brother followed in the footsteps of our father as a carpenter, while one of our sisters sells clothes and phones. The others are housewives. I wish my mother was still alive to see me scale heights,” he says.
Ssebuguzi first fell in love with pool in 2008 at Cyrene Bar in Seeta [it has since ceased operations] admiring the patrons enjoying the game from the well-lit tables in the bar.
“On our way from school we could not stop looking at the people playing at Cyrene. It was a posh place but we had not attained the legal age to be allowed to enter,” he recalls.

Sketchy start
He found tables elsewhere where his love for the sport increased until 2009 when he was allowed into Cyrene.
“The first person who impressed me with pool was Isma Mulindwa. He was highly respected and gave me the first lessons of pool. He bought me the first cue stick,” Ssebuguzi tells Score.
Pool is played for fun by most people but for professionals, one must maintain a strong mental game. The easiest way to be more confident is to play well and continually improve. And the best way to do this is to have solid fundamentals such as grip, bridge, stance, visual alignment, pre-shot routines and stroking. 

Mulindwa, now a businessman in Seeta, gave all this to Ssebuguzi.
“He inspired me when I was a kid and now I get the opportunity of a lifetime to show him that what he taught did not go to waste. Being named captain is just amazing when I look back,” he says.
Ssebuguzi, who won the Christmas Cup in 2017, enjoyed an equally successful amateur career.
In 2012, he won an internal competition at the bar beating top names such as Fahad Ssewankambo and Sula Matovu. It was from here that Ssewankambo urged him to get a club.

Ssebuguzi signed for Rotex that was based in Ndeeba where he only received allowances. Yet he was happy.
“It was unbelievable for me to be playing in the league. At the time, even if they had asked me to pay to play, I’d have done it. It was a miracle to put on the team uniform. I was just excited,” he says.
It was a team laced with such talents as Joseph Kasozi, but he became an instant starter.
Since his mother was Kenyan, he was taken to Nairobi in 2013 for A-Level studies, taking a break from league action. On his return in 2015, he played in a friendly match between Seeta and Hot Pool. 

Showcase
It didn’t take long for the youngster to begin showcasing the raw, explosive talent that has got many a tongue wagging. Ssebuguzi, known for his blistering hand speed and devastating accuracy, swept up Adam Sebbi in a decider by a break and finish to win the money for his team.
As the dust settled, he had put his name above the dotted lines at Hot Pool, sealing a one-year contract worth Shs800,000 to a club that was bankrolled by Centenary Bank.

With raw talent, he joined Jonah ‘Joker’ Turigye, Humphrey Nsubuga, Fred ‘Bonde’ Namanya and Charles Segawa, among others. Ssebuguzi has never lacked self-belief and he waltzed through with aplomb, becoming seed nine.
“I was staying focused and I knew success was coming. The club trusted me with the deciders or game 19,” he says.
His rapid ascent did not match the trophies though. Hot Pool only won the 2017 Clubs Knockout Cup, finishing in second place for three consecutive years.
When Hot Pool fell into a financial pit after Centenary Bank pulled out, most players left. He, too, joined the exodus signing for Roniz in Jinja. He was welcomed in the eastern city with open hands as Hans Rugari, the manager, wanted to build the team around him. 

But with the dead years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, he played only one season before sealing a move to Scrap Buyers where he expects to play this season.
Apart from the Independence Cup 2018 and Oceans Open in 2017, Ssebuguzi has struggled to get his name on individual trophies. He has been a casualty at the final hurdle, including losses in the 2017 Easter cup to Turigye, 2018 Christmas Cup to Simon Lubuulwa, Joker’s Open, Maama Fina Open, and Mbale Open.
Replacing Sheep
When Gumikiriza cued out as captain, there were obvious names for the role. Top seed Mansoor Bwanika, Kasozi or even Glorious Ssenyonjo [the deputy captain] were looked at as potential replacements but coach Nathan Bwankosya settled for Ssebuguzi, who is yet to come to terms with the role.

Gumikiriza, a personal friend, has vowed to give a hand when called upon. It is fair to say he knows the potential of a leader when he sees one and he knows Ssebuguzi can go ahead to excel.
“He has an opportunity to lead the team to glory. There is a lot of talent in the team. He only needs to talk for the interests of the players,” Gumikiriza says.
The admiration is certainly mutual.
“Black Sheep is the best captain we have had in recent years. When you train with him, he always wants you to improve. I’ll seek his counsel – he’s a blessing for us in the sport,” Ssebuguzi said.

Gumikiriza will not be with the team when it travels to Zambia as Ssebuguzi takes the latest steps to stardom, but the new captain has a golden chance to draw attention and gain further admirers.
In the future, Ssebuguzi is expecting to be a headline act in his own right away from Gumikiriza’s shadow.
“My dream is to leave a legacy behind, and become number one,” Ssebuguzi, whose best performance in the prestigious Nile Special Open, after five attempts, was a quarter final finish in 2018.

Pool: Facing perceptions

Pool is mainly a bar sport in Uganda. This is partly the reason why the game is not popular among female players and school-going children. As a Muslim, Ssebuguzi does not take offence of playing the sport from bars.
“It is just people’s perceptions. That is partly because of the way players conduct themselves. When you tell someone that you are a professional player, it baffles them. We need to change that perception. I enter bars to look for money not to drink,” he says.
gkatongole@ug. nationmedia.com