Oloya, Mugisha and Kalungi: Right wingers with rare scoring touch

MOSES OLOYA

Oloya comes from a sporting family. His elder brother Jimmy Kidega played for the Uganda Cranes while their late father Justine Okeny was a well-known football administrator in eastern region. 
Oloya is still an active footballer currently playing in Vietnam. His footballing talent first came to light while attending Dynamic secondary school which was then located at Kabuusu in Lubaga Division, Kampala before being shifted to Namugongo-Sonde in Wakiso.  

He later made it to the U-23 national team, the Kobs, KCCA and eventually to the national senior team, the Cranes where he was consistently selected between 2011 and 2017. 
In the Cranes team, the right winger exhibited a good turn of pace also contributed some goals. 
Due to his ability to dribble and beat opponents, he was a good tool in launching raids on the opponents’ goal area and score important goals. 

In 2011, Oloya made eight appearances for the Cranes. He followed that up with 11 in 2012, four in 2013, 10 in 2014, two in 2015, eight in 2016 and four in 2017 to accumulate 47 caps. 
This was crowned by that memorable moment in September 2016 when Oloya was part of the team that qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time since 1978. 
During that time, Oloya featured in most of the Afcon and World Cup qualifying matches. But, in May 2016, a swollen ankle injury ruled him out of a group D Afcon qualifier against Botswana, leaving coach Micho Sredojovic short of numbers. 
  
Earlier on in 2015 Oloya had been summoned to the Cranes team to face Togo in a World Cup qualifier after a lengthy absence but faced stiff competition to make the final team. 
Oloya embraced the competition. “Football is like that. We are all one unit and each one of us has a role to play and besides, I am ready to compete favourably for a slot on the team which is good in terms of delivery,” Oloya said then. He was picked ahead of his contemporaries. 

At club level, Oloya featured for KCCA between 2009 and 2010 before heading for Vietnam where he made 36 apparences for Xuan Thanh Sai (2011-2013) and Bacamex Binh Duong. 
While there Oloya excelled in the AFC Asian Champions League  attracting the attention of Russian club Kuban Krasnodar that signed him for $400,000 (about Shs1.2b) in 2016 after beating a number of Japanese clubs that were also interested in getting his signature. 

Oloya has proved to be one of the most admired players. In 2013, when his Vietnamese club Xuân Thành Sài Gon was forcefully relegated because of being involved in match fixing, the then-KCCA coach George Nsimbe expressed interest in signing him.
Nsimbe argued that Oloya would help to strengthen the team that aimed to defend their league title. 
The same year, the two Tanzanian giants – Simba and Yanga – fought to sign Oloya with the latter going to an extent of reserving a slot for him in their foreign players’ quota.  
Oloya opted to stay in Vietnam. 

GODFREY MUGISHA

Mugisha is known to have been a speedy right winger that mastered the art of crossing the ball. In 1999, Mugisha was widely expected to make the final U-23 national team, the Kobs, who played at the All Africa Games but missed out due to a hamstring injury.  
During his career, Mugisha featured in all national age group teams namely the U-17, U-19, U-21, U-23 before graduating to play for the senior Cranes team. 

In his first senior team outing in 1995, Mugisha summoned to feature for Cranes B side. That team reached the Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup finals and lost to Zanzibar at home. 
In 2000, he was now part of the Cranes A team that beat beat Cranes B in the same tournament played in Kampala.  
At club level, surprisingly Mugisha first came to the limelight while playing for an unfancied Lugazi-based Scoul. His teammates at KCCA and the Cranes continue to call him ‘Scoul’ to this day. 

KCCA poached him in 1996. He joined a side that had Jackson Mayanja, Wilber Musika, Ibrahim Ssekagya, Wilson Gayi, Morley Byekwaso, Abdallah Mubiru, Derrick Muyanja, Lawrence Musoke and Haruna Maya. 
All of him are presumed to be more talented than Mugisha. That team had only transitioned from allowing Charles Baker Masiko and George Nsimbe among others retire. 
Mugisha was among the youthful players coach Mike Mutebi signed to reinforce the club. He fitted the bill especially in the superseding season with two games underlining his immense talent. 

The first was a decisive league title decider against Express away at Wankulukuku. Mugisha scored the first goal with Baker Mbowa adding the second for the Kasasiro Boys to overcome Express. 
Then, in the 1997 Caf Cup (now defunct), KCCA were held to a 2-all draw by AFC Leopards of Kenya in the quarterfinals first leg match in Kampala everyone thought it was all over for the Ugandan club. 
However, thanks to Mugisha’s scoring ability, he got the all-important goal for KCCA in Nairobi to go through to the semifinals with a 3-2 aggregate score. KCCA lost 9-1 to Esperance in the semis. 

In 2001, Mugisha emulated other youthful footballers like Musika, Peter Byaruhanga, Sulaiman Tenywa, Geoffrey Bukohore and Arthur Byansiima by heading to the United States to study and at the same time to play football.  
Mugisha and another Ugandan forward Robert Ssejjemba were signed by the Virginia Intermont Cobras where Mugisha shot his way into the United States soccer headlines by scoring numerous goals in 2003 to help the Cobras emerge as the National Inter College Regional XII champions. 
He had 22 goals and 18 assists to easily earn the regional player of the year award. His prowess also played a key role in leading his university into the national tournament featuring USA top 20 regional teams. 

Mugisha was included in the first All-Conference team for the years 2002 and 2003 in addition to being the Most Valuable Player Regional XII for 2003. At the same time, he got the All-American honourable mention.  
During the 2004/5 season, Mugisha was invited for trials at Chicago Storm, a professional indoor soccer team. His pending graduation stood in the way on earning a contract there. 

While in the land of dreams, Mugisha killed two birds with one stone. His honours stretched from the soccer field to academics where he retained the annual Bristol Guild art award. 
Mugisha graduated with a degree in Information Systems and Graphic Design.

DAVID KALUNGI

Kalungi featured for the U-23 national team and the Cranes. He attended the footballing-loving Kibuli SSS. His cohort had other extremely talented boys like Sulaiman Tenywa, Mujib Kasule, Bernard Okumu and Robert Shaka Okello. 
Kalungi later joined Makerere University Business School (Mubs) to undertake a course in business studies and while there he captained the university soccer team to the East African University Championship title. 
He had Tom Muwonge, Joram Katende, Henry Kakooza, Robert Ojok and Yusuf Musisi for teammates. 

It’s at Mubs that Kalungi’s talent shone brightest as he featured as a right back, right winger and even as a striker.
 Kalungi also had two playing spells at Simba (1997-1998 and 2002-2003). There, he was coached Mike Mutebi, assisted by Moses Basena. 
He was made captain and led Simba to the East 

KALUNGI FACTFILE 
(ACHIEVEMENTS)
l Played for Simba (1997-1998 and 2002-2003).
l Played for URA (2003-2004 and 2007-2008).
l Won the league with URA in 2006 and 2007.
l In 2006, he scored two goals against KCCA that decided the league title.
l Scored two goals for the Cranes against Somalia in 2004 Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup.
l Won the 2004 Cecafa Senior Challege Cup with Cranes in Ethiopia.

l In the 90s, he captained Makerere University Business School (Mubs) Nakawa to the East African University Games title. 
l Captained both Simba and Cranes during his career.
l Played for Cranes in Afcon and World Cup qualifiers.

African Military Games. In 2002, when Jackson Mayanja guided Lyatonde to the Ugandan Premier League, Kalungi was among the new players signed by the club. Lyantonde was then acquired by tax collectors, URA. 
In the 2005 season, he partnered well with Phillip Obwin, David Kiwanuka, Shaka Okello, David Kazibwe, Lawrence Kiizito and Dan Obote to form a formidable side that checked on the powers of tradition clubs like SC Villa, Express and KCCA.

 Kalungi netted two beautiful headers in a fight back league tie to beat KCCA in 2006. It is this victory that gave the tax collectors their first league title and Kalungi again proved to be instrumental in the URA teams of 2007 and 2009 that clinched two more league titles.  
This made Kalungi a cult hero at the institutional side. He has since returned to the club as part of the non-playing staff. The only others to be accorded this kind of warmth by URA are Obwin, Simeon Masaba and Allan Munaaba. 

In the Cranes team which Kalungi once captained he was one of the leading players during the 2004 Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup in Ethiopia. Uganda won it. 
Kalungi scored a brace in the opening group encounter against Somalia. Besides this, he featured for the Cranes in Africa Cup of Nations and World Cup qualifiers. 
The most outstanding attribute of Kalungi is his work rate and the knack for scoring when he arrived from the blindside of the defence.