Sseppuya, Ogwang, Kyeyune: Tall strikers who nagged defences

Towering Poachers: Eugene Sseppuya, Charles Ogwang and Lulenti Kyeyune may not have been crafty strikers. The three were tall and bulky strikers.They used their size to their advantage to bag goals in hordes. They were direct and usually did what was expected of them whenever they faced defenders who dared to stop them. Locally Sseppuya made a name at Mbale Heroes and SC Villa, Kyeyune did that at Express while Ogwang captained the 1996-97 Umeme side that local football by storm, writes Robert Mugagga.

EUGENE SSEPPUYA 

Sseppuya ranks high among the most travelled Ugandan footballers. In a space of 18 years between 1998 and 2016, Seppuya played for 14 clubs in Africa, North America, Europe, Asia and Australia!

But, it’s important to understand Sseppuya’s roots. His football career commenced at Light College Katikamu in Wakiso before he moved to sports powerhouse Kibuli SSS.

Kibuli polished his football a making him known to the football world. Spotted at Kbuli, he was first signed by Mbale Heroes and during his stay at the club he got summoned to the 1999 U-23 Uganda Kobs team that participated in the All Africa Games in South Africa.

The same year, Sseppuya was poached by giants SC Villa. Before that, He scored twice in Mbale Heroes’ famous 3-1 semifinal victory over Villa in the 1999 Uganda Cup.

That Sam Ssimbwa-coached side would go on to win the knockout competition, defeating Lyantonde 3-0 in a post-match penalty shootout in a final that ended goalless.

In 2001, he was offered a sports scholarship and went to Alabama in the United States of America. At Alabama A&M, he other Ugandans like goalkeeper Andrew Jjombwe.

In College, between 2001 and 2004, Sseppuya had 59 games and netted 41 goals and 19 assists.

Due to an injury he suffered in 2004, Sseppuya played only four matches but surprisingly got selected in 31st position in the 2005 Major League Soccer supplemental draft.

Fresh from College in 2005, he briefly played in the Major League Soccer (MLS) for Colorado Rapids before moving to Virginia Beach Manners.

Two years later, he left for Armenia and signed for Banants but before being fielded in any match, Vojvodina of Serbia came calling and took him.

During the year 2009, Sseppuya played for two Serbian clubs - Cukarica and Mladi Radnik.
Radnik sporting director Milorad Rajkovic was all smiles when he received Sseppuya. “We are very satisfied with signing Sseppuya who has already proved his ability in the Serbian league. This is the first time that we have signed a national team player and I can freely say that this is the biggest gain in the history of our club,” Radnik said back then.

Even here, Sseppuya didn’t stay for long and the following year crossed over to Suduva of Lithuania. He was soon on the move again.
Sseppuya flew south to Australia where North Queensland Fury was ready to welcome him. The head coach Robbie Middleby was overjoyed by the arrival of Sseppuya.

“Eugene came after being highly recommended to us by our overseas contacts. He is a different type of player and his inclusion should help the team score a number of goals needed to have a successful season,” Middleby noted. 

In 2010, while at Fury, Seppuya scored the opening goal at a highly charged match against Melbourne Victory which ended in a 2-2 stalemate. It had two red cards send offs and three awarded penalties.

Other clubs Seppuya played for included Petrolul Ploiești of Romania which he helped gain promotion to Romanian Liga 1 in 2011.

In 2012, he returned to Serbia and signed for Borac Cacak for one season and later joined Jedinstvo Bijelo Polje of Montenegro. His travels were far from over and in 2013 moved to Istklol Dushabe in the Tajik league which he featured for until 2016 when he switched allegiance to his old club Bijelo Polje also of Montenegro.

At national level, Seppuya played for the Uganda Cranes team between 2007 and 2010. He was a key team member during the joint 2010 Africa Cup of Nations and World Cup qualifiers when Bobby Williamson was in charge.

In their group, Uganda finished third behind Benin and Angola with Sseppuya and Geoffrey Massa emerging as joint top scorers with two goals each. He scored a famous goal against Angola at Namboole.

After retiring, Eugene Seppuya set up a football marketing firm, “Ssepuya Inc Agency ‘’ that has helped expose many players to Europe and Asia. Among those is Mahadi Kayondo whom he recently helped move to Romania.

“Sseppuya has a lot of experience in European football and helped me improve as a professional player by showing me the right direction to achieve my targets and also sent me videos of workouts and diet programmes,” Kayondo said in an interview.

In 2020, Seppuya helped Ukraine defender Antem Baranowskiy join FC Qzyaljar SK of Kazakhstan.
“Sseppuya helped me a lot in this. He showed me my strong skills and weaknesses and though I found his programme very hard it was very smart,” the Ukraine defender told one media outlet.

Sseppuya factfile( achievements)

• He excelled for Kibuli SSS in national school championships
• He played for Mbale Heroes, and SC Villa in Uganda
• He won the 1999 Uganda Cup with Mbale Heroes
• He won the league with SC Villa in 2000 and 2001
• He played for 14 clubs in Africa, North America, Europe, Asia and Australia
• He scored 41 goals for Alabama A&B in America College football
• He was part of the 1999 U-23 youth team for All Africa Games in South Africa
• He played for the Cranes in 2010 Afcon and World Cup qualifiers
• He has a players’ marketing firm - Sepuya INC Agency.

CHARLES OGWANG

Ogwang’s main reference goes back to the defunct Umeme side in 1997 where he emerged as joint league top scorer with KCCA’s Jackson Mayanja with 18 goals.

This was no fluke at all because Ogwang had earlier on in 1995 and 1996 netted double digit goals in the league.

Being crowned top scorer in 1997 made him the third player featuring for a team sponsored by the power generating company to make it.

Ibrahim Kizito achieved it in 1995 with 20 goals while at UEB FC, the team name that preceded Umeme. 

The following season, David Kiwanuka was crowned top scorer with 20 goals.
Ogwang comes from Lango region which has in the past produced great sportsmen like late Cranes left winger Dennis Obua and Olympic gold medalist John Akii-Bua.

Ogwang, who previously played as a goalkeeper, attended Makerere University Primary School, Kitante Hill school, and Kibuli SSS, a school known for nourishing sportspersons.  

Later on, he went to Nkumba University. His father Wilson Okello ensured that Ogwang stayed in school.
Ogwang’s dad had in the past played as a defender in Wandegeya United. 

Okello told Ogwang that he shouldn’t expect to play football beyond 35 years, one reason he had to take studies seriously in order to secure a bright future.

Little wonder then that after Nkumba university Ogwang proceeded to the UK where he joined Greenwich University before moving on to the University of East London.

In the UK, he attained degrees in logistics and supply chain management, a postgraduate diploma in occupational Health and safety in addition to a diploma in Environmental Science.

At club level, Ogwang first played for his father’s former club Wandegeya United where he was a goalkeeper.
He also played in the same position in the Uganda U-19, U-20 and U-23 youth teams. From Wandegeya, Ogwang joined UCB FC in 1988 up to 1994 when it was relegated.

At UCB, coach Kurtsom ‘Big Ben’ Omodimg tried him upfront and he surprised everyone by scoring a hat trick in a league match against Uganda Airlines.

He never returned to goal and after the relegation of UCB, he joined Umeme in 1994. 
Two years later, he proved good enough and was named the club’s captain.

Coaches Asuman Lubowa and Joseph Kabundi worked around the clock in turning the club into a football powerhouse.
Ogwang guided the club to the 1996 Ugnad Cup victory, beating Nile FC 1-0 in the finals. 

Enroute the final, Umeme caused a major upset by eliminating Express, the same team they electrocuted and bundled out of the Hedex Cup.

In 1997, Umeme came close to winning the league, finishing as runners up to KCCA that beat them by just three points. 
In the national team, Ogwang was a member of the Uganda Cranes outfit that won the 1996 Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup in Khartoum, Sudan and thereafter among players hosted to a big reception by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni at his Rwakitura country home.

Ogwang factfile (Achievements)

• He excelled for Kibuli SSS in school championships 
• He played for Wandegeya United and Umeme in Uganda
• He played for Uganda U19, U20 and U23
• He won the Uganda Cup with Umeme in 1996
• He was league’s top scorer in 1997 with 18 goals
• He was part of the 1996 Cranes team that won the Cecafa title
• He studied up to universities in Uganda and the UK
• He was at first a goalkeeper, who turned into a striker

LULENTI KYEYUNE

Kyeyune was a speedy striker whose major strength was positioning to take advantage of opportunities to score important goals.
 Besides, Kyeyune’s height also gave him an added plus in the air while his weight was good enough to enable him to confront and go past bulky defenders. 
He was among the players that Express fans pushed Serbian coach Dragan Popadic to sign in 1996. Popadic also recruited Sulaiman Tenywa, Friday Senyonjo, Yusuf Musisi, Samson Luwuge, Ojok Robert and the two Congolese Issa Bin Mungu and Ayew Mbo. Kyeyune joined Express from Posta FC which at a time many giant teams raided and poached talented young players.
He will particularly be remembered as one player who often tormented and scored against teams from Rwanda both at club and national level.
Therefore, it came as no surprise when Rwandese champions APR fought hard to sign him from Express. At his new club, Kyeyune did what was expected of him by scoring important goals in the league and regional tournaments.
In the 2001 Cecafa Kagame Cup held in Kenya, Kyeyune scored a couple of goals for APR that enabled them to get out of a tough group that included SC Villa, Oserian of Kenya and Red Sea of Eritrea. During that tournament APR went all the way to the semifinals.
Kyeyune again scored in the third place playoff match for APR. Kyeyune’s kept improving thus catching the eyes of several clubs abroad.
After three seasons in Rwanda, he moved to Vietnam and joined Songhlam FC where he had an impact thus emulating other Ugandans that once plied trade there like Livingston Kyobe, Paul Mutakabala, Ibrahim Buwembo, Sam Kawalya, Moses Oloya, Damiel Ntale, Matthias Kaweesa, Iddi Batambuze, Charles Kayemba, Joseph Mutyaba, Jamil Kyambadde and Enock Kyembe among others.  In 2014, Kyeyume made headlines when he scored vital goals that enabled the Ex-internationals reach the third round of the Uganda Cup where they were eliminated by Hope Doves.
The Ex-internationals’ team comprising of aged and long retired players surprised many by eliminating youthful teams that had energetic players.
 Apart from Kyeyune, the team included other players like Deo Sserwadda, George Semwogerere, Hussein Mbalangu, Matia Lule, Kizito Lawremce and Amdy Lule.
As far as football administration is concerned, Kyeyume was in 2017 among the Ex-international representatives elected to the Fufa assembly along with Paul Mutakabala, Edward Kalungi, Patrick Ntege, Lule, Fred Habineza and Robert Tumusiime.                  .

Kyeyune factfile(achievements)

• Played for Posta, Health and Express. 
• Played and excelled for APR of Rwanda.
• Scored and helped APR of Rwanda finish third in 2001 Cecafa Kagame Cup. 
• Played professional football for Songhlam in the V-league of Vietnam.
• His goals helped Ex-International team go all the way to third round of 2014 Uganda Cup. 
• He was in 2017 elected as Ex-international representative in the Fufa Assembly.
• He was a very speedy striker who used to position himself so well in box.

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