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Uganda have only two days left until their opening match of the inaugural CECAFA U18 Boys Championship in neighbouring Kenya.

The squad of 23 players arrived in Kakamega safe and sound Thursday morning, Uganda's football governing body FUFA said.

It is in this western Kenyan town where head coach Morley Byekwaso's side will play their Group B games, starting with Tanzania this Sunday. Current CECAFA U15 boys champions Zanzibar and South Sudan are also their groupmates.

About 50 kilometres south of Kakamega, the other teams taking part in this maiden competition will be battling it out in Group A in Kisumu. Here, hosts Kenya are grouped with Somalia, Rwanda and Sudan.

Djibouti had been drawn in Group A but they withdrew from the tournament, which kicks off on Saturday.

That means eight teams are eyeing the maiden title.

Uganda's final squad features three goalkeepers, seven defenders, eight midfielders and five forwards.

According to FUFA, they were picked after "rigorous training sessions and evaluation of skills, ensuring a balanced and formidable team ready to take on the challenge".

The day before their departure, the Ugandan team applied the finishing touches on their preparations with a friendly match against current Uganda Premier League leaders BUL FC.

The game played at FUFA Technical Centre in Njeru ended with the under-18 national side coming out on top in a 2-1 result, Frank Katongole scoring a double and Alex Kitata netting BUL's goal.

The upcoming CECAFA championship in Kenya will end on December 8.

Kisumu Stadium and Kakamega Stadium will host the games, with the semis and final played at the former stadium.

The best two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals, from where the finalists will be determined.