Catherine Adipo: A trailblazer in refereeing

Catherine Adipo is a longtime household name in Ugandan sports circles. The Sports Science lecturer at Kyambogo University and former Fifa-accredited international referee now-turned an instructor on the continent is a trailblazer for women in football refereeing.

Adipo started her journey into refereeing in 1989. Then as a youthful graduate from Makerere University where she had completed her Bachelors of Arts in 1987, she set out into sports.

She had joined Makerere College School as a teacher in 1988 where she also doubled as a games mistress and their football coach. Among the players she trained at school include the Fufa chief executive officer Edgar Watson who went on to enjoy a glittering career at SC Villa and Uganda Cranes.

Unchartered waters

The following year, celebrated referee Dick Nsubuga (RIP) convinced her to take the referee training which she did and passed.

“It wasn’t easy to break through at that time but I was determined and this is what I wanted to be,” Adipo recounts her decision back then in 1989.

“It was a totally male-dominated zone but at least I found one or two female referees at that time like Teopista Birungi.

“So, I told myself that if these two women can do it, then I can do it!”

Trailblazers

Some bit of perspective: When the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations was hitting fever pitch in Ivory Coast between mid-January and mid-February, the world was celebrating Moroccan referee Bouchra Karboubi who became the second woman to officiate at the men’s continental finals. Rwandan referee Salima Mukansanga had broken the ceiling two years back when she became the first woman to achieve the milestone in Cameroon. We’re in 2024!

What is common with both Mukansanga and Karboubi is that they honed their skills officiating women’s leagues that were steadily growing by their side in their respective countries back home.

What is not common with their story and Uganda’s Adipo is that the latter started out refereeing 35 years ago in a country that was just picking itself from the ruins of war. An era where women’s participation in sports was deemed almost an abomination.

“There was no women's football so the only way to do it was to dive in the men’s leagues,” she explains. For those who understand how the Ugandan football scene was like between the 1990s, understand Adipo’s typical office day.

Breaking the barrier

But Adipo soldiered on. Adipo was forced to double her efforts to match the best that there was at that time.

“If it came to fitness, then I had to do it with the men by not only matching them but be better than most of them to be in that discussion,” she recounts.

She adds: “They felt that women couldn’t handle such roles but I really worked hard and proved them wrong because I became better than most of them.”

And indeed, she broke the stereotypes. While that era in Ugandan football was peaking and cases of violence especially against the referees was rampant, Adipo emerged almost unscathed. Largely due to her competency while doing her work.

“There’s only one day that I can remember,” Adipo narrates an ordeal, “Villa and Mbale Heroes were contesting in a highly-charged match but before the game, I realized that their colours were clashing.

“I had decided not to go with the game but my match commissioner Benjamin Omoding decided to dress Villa with bibs.

“I had to listen to him and went on but in the end, it turned into chaos after Villa lost to Mbale Heroes in a game that ended their unbeaten run.”

Nevertheless, Adipo had gained enough experience, had fought for her space and was slowly breaking the hegemonic masculinity for generations to come. Around that time from 1991 to 1997, Adipo was the sports officer for the Kampala City Council (now Kampala Capital City Authority).

Navigating foreign winds

Her fight finally paid off as she became the first Ugandan woman to become an international referee after receiving the Fifa referee’s badge, a ticket to officiate beyond Ugandan borders.

But Adipo had only finished the first battle in Uganda but the war out there was still on. She maintained her badge for four straight years but never got an international assignment. She needed a helping hand.

“I approached the Fufa president by then it was Denis Obua while on his way to Cairo, Egypt for a Caf congress and asked him to speak a word for me there,” Adipo made the call. Caf is the body that runs football in Africa.

“I told him that I held the badge for four years with no appointment but I know that I was capable because I worked very hard.”

Obua (RIP) knew Adipo’s capabilities and rallied for her. The next year she was on the plane to South Africa to officiate at the 2000 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations held from November 11-25.

She was the only referee from East Africa from a pool of eight from all over Africa that was dominated by West Africans. The others include; Ondo Akono (Cameroon), Scholastica Tetteh (Ghana), Fatou Gaye (Senegal), Bola Abidoye and Bolanle Sekiteri (both Nigeria), Rasoanirina and Sabelo Sibindi from Madagascar and Zimbabwe respectively.

Flying colours

Adipo debuted on November 15, 2000 as eventual champions Nigeria thumped Morocco 6-0. She performed well to be handed a semifinal and was the four that were recalled for the 2002 finals in Nigeria. She was also called for the 2003 All African Games and the Awcon 2004 in South Africa.

An injury cut her career short in 2006 but that was not enough to put Adipo down.

She immediately trained to become a referees’ instructor and became a Caf instructor after a successful evaluation course conducted in Cairo, Egypt in 2010. She is a certified Caf referees’ instructor/coach and a Fifa referees assessor.

The mother of two has mentored many including men but most of all she prides in influencing several girls and women to continue in her footsteps.

“I’m proud of my work especially seeing that I have motivated other women to join,” she tells Daily Monitor with a smile as she lays back.

“I have mentored many but I’m very proud of Shamirah Nabbada and believe she will go beyond where I reached and just needs more guidance but it’s good that she listens.”

Adipo managed to convert Nabbada from a footballer to a referee and has gone on to earn a Fifa badge alongside Habiba Naigaga and Diana Murungi. Nabadda was among the 16 referees who officiated the Awcon finals in Morocco in 2022.

Adipo has rallied girls and young women to shoot for their dreams especially in sports without fear.

“One thing I can tell the young referees and especially women is that you must respect yourself on and off duty because how you conduct yourself is how everyone will take you.

But above all she says, “In everything you do, you must have integrity and must work hard to be a performer; those are the pillars that have seen me go this far!”

Adipo, a mother of two, attended Busia Integrated Primary School before joining Mt. St. Mary’s College, Namagunga and King's College Budo for her secondary education.

She graduated from Makerere University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography and Languages in 1987. She also holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Education from Makerere University and a Master's degree in Sports science from Kyambogo University where she has been lecturing from 2005 to date.

She was appointed the vice chairperson Fufa referees standing committee in 2015 and was made the chairperson of the appointments authority. Today she serves as a member of Fufa referees technical and development committee. 

"I want to mentor and challenge many more women into sports leadership, one of the fields I believe we have not exploited well but has a lot of opportunities," she sums it.

Profile

Name – Catherine Adipo

Parents – Reverend Canon Kezironi Wejuli (RIP) & Abisiagi Wejuli

Mother of two – Ingrid Namutebi & Ian Wejuli

Education Background

Primary - Busia Integrated Primary School

Ordinary level - Mt. St. Mary’s College, Namagunga

Advanced Level - King's College Budo

Higher education

- Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography and Languages (Makerere University – 1987)

- Post Graduate Diploma in Education from Makerere University

- Master's degree in Sports Science from Kyambogo University

Best Moment – Officiating at her first Awcon in 2000 

Playing career

1981 – Joined Kampala Amateur Volleyball Club (KAVC)

1982 – National ladies volleyball captain

Refereeing

1989 – Becomes a Fufa referee

1995 – Becomes Uganda’s female Fifa referee

1991–1997 – sports officer, Kampala City Council (Now KCCA)

2006 - date – Fifa/Caf Instructor

2015 – 2020 Appointed vice chairperson, Fufa Referees Standing Committee

2015-2020 – appointed chairperson, Fufa referees appointments committee