Mbarara City set ambition for 2026/27 Uganda Premier League title

Mbarara City have set their sights on winning the 2026/27 Uganda Premier League after finishing 12th in 2025 with 27 points from 30 matches. Their record was six wins, nine draws and 15 defeats, with 26 goals scored and 46 conceded.

The Ankole Lions ended that campaign with a mixed run of five matches: defeats by KCCA and SC Villa, followed by wins against Buhimba Saints, Lugazi and Express. That sequence shows improvement in the short term, but the overall league position leaves the club facing a major rise in standards.

Mbarara have spent eight seasons in Uganda’s top flight since promotion in 2017. Their best finish was fifth in 2018/19, when they collected 46 points, while they placed seventh in each of the next two campaigns. Relegation followed a 15th-place finish in 2021/22, although they returned immediately after finishing second in the FUFA Big League in 2022/23.

Since returning, Mbarara have finished 11th, 12th and 12th. Their strongest season also shows the distance between a competitive campaign and a title challenge: the 2018/19 side finished 20 points behind champions KCCA. Mbarara’s recent scoring record adds another concern, with 70 goals across 89 league matches over the last three campaigns referenced in the club’s assessment.

The club has responded with recruitment that includes the return of forward Brian Aheebwa from Arba Minch City in Ethiopia. Rogers Mugisha has joined from KCCA, while Ivan Bogere and Eric Tumwine arrive from UPDF and Kitara respectively. Four-year sponsorship from Africa Coffee Park could provide Shs1.32 billion across the agreement, giving Mbarara greater scope to retain players and strengthen the squad.

Financial support will need to be matched by continuity. Livingstone Mbabazi was dismissed late in the 2024/25 season, Simon Peter Mugerwa lasted six league matches in 2025/26 without a win, and Zaidi Byekwaso later took charge. A sustained title bid will require the board, management and technical staff to maintain a clear football plan while improving results and attacking output.