Kitende reigns supreme again in Wakiso derby thriller

For the eighth consecutive time, the Wakiso District Zonal boys' football final pitted titans St. Mary's Kitende against Buddo SS, and Tuesday's clash at Kabaka Kyabaggu Stadium lived up to the billing.

An almost hour-long delay, sparked in part by a kit clash that left Buddo playing in light blue bibs, only heightened the tension before Kitende defended their title with a 2-0 win in front of a fervent crowd.

The atmosphere inside a fully-packed stadium was nothing short of electric. Every available space around the perimeter was occupied as early as 3pm, with fans jostling for a better view.

In a high intensity game where every attack, tackle and near miss was met with a cacophony of sound, Kitende broke the deadlock in the 12th minute when Bahati Bitwiyiki tapped in a cross from the right unleashing explosions of joy and relief from their supporters.

Buddo, who had started intently with fast-paced football were on the back foot again but not their spirits as the game descended into the break with Kitende holding the slim lead.

The second half belonged to Kitende in terms of bossing possession and even after surviving scares twice, another counter-attack left Buddo's three-man defence in jeopardy as South Sudanese lanky forward Santos Agok Manyiel calmly finished off with an easy lob after Arafat Nkoola had done the dirty work.

Despite a challenging start to the season under new coaches Hassan Zungu, William Kyeswa, and Michael Kabali – which included losses in the Kabaka Cup and a controversial Kitende zone final against the subsequently banned Light SS Seguku – St. Mary's Kitende displayed remarkable resilience.

Even without their key striker, Isaac Tebenkana, they triumphed in the Wakiso final.

"That zonal final loss was the jolt we needed. The players' response has been fantastic. There's been a significant change in mentality and their character was evident in this win. We still have areas to refine, particularly in defense, as we strive to remain the top team going into the nationals," he said.

The USSSA Boys' Football national finals are slated to be held in Ngora District from May 5 to May 15. Wakiso zone will be represented by St Mary’s Kitende, Buddo SS, Standard High Zzana, Greenlight Islamic and Kyaddondo SS.

Wakiso Zone Football finals

Boys: Kitende 2-0 Buddo SS

Finals: St Noa 1-0 Rines

Past Wakiso winners

2015: St Mary's Kitende

2016: St Mary's Kitende

2017: St Mary's Kitende

2018: St Mary's Kitende

2019: Buddo SS

2022: Buddo SS

2023: Buddo SS

2024: St Mary's Kitende

2025: St Mary's Kitende