Mbarara City target Uganda Premier League title after major reset

Mbarara City finished 12th in the 2025 Uganda Premier League with 27 points from 30 matches. Their record of six wins, nine draws and 15 defeats, with 26 goals scored and 46 conceded, provides the starting point for an ambitious bid to win the league in 2026/27.

The club has entered a partnership with African Coffee Park, which will support its plans for the coming season. The agreement was unveiled at Twed Towers in Kampala as Mbarara City also presented a reorganised leadership structure and outlined plans to compete for the championship.

Hon. Mwine Mpaka is the new board chairperson and club president, with Nixon Tusiime as his deputy. The board also includes Mwijukye Francis, Mercy Kanyesigye, Jackson Byarugaba in administration, Osborn Mushabe in mobilisation, Anita Vicky overseeing sponsorships and Osborn Turyasingura in finance, alongside Benon Akandwanaho, Elone Natumanya Ainebyoona and Kigongo Asuman.

The Ankole Lions are considering a rebrand as part of a wider effort to build a club representing the Ankole region rather than only Mbarara City. Formed in 2016 through the merger of Citizens Football Club and Wakiso Town Council Football Club, the club is approaching its tenth anniversary and has spent eight seasons in the Uganda Premier League while remaining a regular presence in Uganda’s top two divisions.

Mbarara City are also preparing a change of venue. Kakyeka Stadium did not meet FUFA licensing requirements, while the partnership has opened the way for the team to use Africa Coffee Park Stadium in Rwashameire, Ntungamo, subject to approval. The proposed ground would bring the club closer to its team and supporters after home fixtures were staged at Rwamwanja Stadium in Kamwenge last season.

The squad has been refreshed with Brian Aheebwa, Rogers Mugisha, Ivan Bogere, Eric Tumwine, Iran Musinguzi, Akoragye Hassan, Solomon Okwalinga and Mahad Rashid among the additions. Mbarara City’s recent league sequence included three wins and two defeats, with victories over Buhimba Saints, Lugazi and Express, but the club must turn that uneven form and last season’s 12th-place finish into a sustained challenge for the title.