Allan Okello’s departure leaves UPL searching for its next flag bearer

At first sight, Allan Okello cuts a figure of a college student who has just been asked to stand in front of a school assembly.

He comes off as shy, timid and lacking in confidence. Yet, behind the baby face, is a supremely gifted footballer  who has more talent in the left foot than most players in their whole bodies. 

His meteoric rise started in his early teens when he won numerous individual accolades including the Most Valuable Player  in the Copa Coca Cola and Airtel Rising Star football tournaments before winning the FUFA Junior League version. He was only sixteen. He then went on to win the Young Player of the Year   and Footballer of the Year awards in 2019. 

The nation marveled at this rising  star and held it’s breath. This was after winning two league titles and two Uganda Cups with KCCA before trying his luck at semi-professional football in Algeria.

After fighting off an injury plagued two years upon his return, it was business as usual in his second season at Vipers where he emerged league top scorer with 19 goals before winning the league and cup double last season.

His personal dominance of domestic football also saw him be the star man for the Uganda Cranes during the AFCON 2025 qualifiers, Africa Nations Championships (CHAN 2025) and FIFA World Cup qualification campaign. He is the runaway favourite for FUFA Footballer of the Year 2025 which would be his second. 

The shy looking Cranes player’s skill set, match winning abilities, goals, entertainment value and consistency pales into insignificance the value previously attached to his predecessor Farouk Miya. Miya was sold for a bigger price of US$ 400,000 to a European club but the US$ 300,000 for Okello to Tanzania’s Young Africans has been the real story.  

Okello’s value to Ugandan football has been more than goals and silverware for his clubs, never mind making the  Cranes look actually better than they are. The Lango province player is a poster boy; strikingly handsome with a super star demeanor, trendy, a fashionista and amiable. To the ladies, he is irresistible. To the men, the text book football icon.

 Many parents have used Okello’s image to inspire their kids to pursue football as a career while many corporate organizations have sought him for a brand ambassador role. The 25-year-old Cranes star has been undoubtedly the face of the StarTimes Uganda Premier League and no doubt, the flag bearer of the Uganda Cranes.

In a country where football icons are at a canter, it’s scary to imagine the Okello post departure effect. The era of football icons froze with the retirement of Ibrahim Sekajja, David Obua, Kyambadde Willy (RIP), Hassan Mubiru, Hakim Magimba and Steven Bengo; players whose names echoed in stadiums, schools, universities, backyards, offices, streets and market places. Before them; the likes of Jackson Mayanja, Fred Tamale, Paul Hasule, Majid Musisi, Sam Ssimbwa, Steven Bogere. 

Okello has been a breath of fresh air to rekindle the romance that football crazed fans had with local football. In this era of television, Okello was one of the main reasons for fast growing audiences while coaching instructors used him as a case study. For football to attract new fans, it needs super stars.

If Ugandans are asked who the best local player is after Okello’s departure, there wouldn’t be a consensus. It’s how big Okello was in the domestic league. KCCA’s prospect, Shafik Kwikiriza is still waiting to arrive while Villa’s Patrick Kakande flattered to deceive. There’s nothing to choose between Vipers’ Karim Watambala and Usama Arafat.

Cranes’s Rogers Mato is only starting to curve out a professional career. As we celebrate Okello’s latest fortunes, the time has come for Uganda to face the bitter truths about the local game; it’s diabolically short of flag bearers. Okello was not just a super star, he was a brand.