Down Memory Lane: When Lawrence Mulindwa stepped down as FUFA president

After nearly a decade at the helm of Ugandan football, on June 24, 2013, Lawrence Mulindwa stunned the sporting fraternity when he announced that he would not seek re-election as president of the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA).

The revelation came during an extraordinary executive meeting at FUFA House in Mengo, where Mulindwa told his colleagues that he was ready to call time on his stewardship.

His decision, he explained, stemmed from the relentless pressure surrounding the job, adding that he wished to retire into private life and focus on managing his businesses.

“Yes, he told us that he will not seek another term in office. He said it was because of the too much pressure on him. He told us it was beyond his own making. This untimely decision is very unfortunate for our football,”  a FUFA vice president told reporters at the time.

FUFA vice president for administration, Moses Magogo, confirmed Mulindwa’s bombshell on social media with a brief but telling remark: “Yes, the guy has said it.”

Mulindwa’s decision came just a few weeks to the FUFA presidential elections, scheduled for August 31, 2013, at the technical centre in Njeru. His exit made him the second-longest serving FUFA president, after Kabaka Daudi Chwa (1924–1934).

Earlier that same month, Mulindwa had presided over a FIFA-required extraordinary assembly at Namboole, where FUFA’s membership was slashed from 400 to 86 delegates, setting the stage for the very elections he would now not contest.

During his nine years in office, Mulindwa presided over both highs and lows. On one hand, he managed to rebrand Ugandan football, securing key corporate sponsorships for the Uganda Cranes from the likes of MTN, National Insurance Corporation (NIC), and Nile Breweries.

On the other, critics faulted him for failing to deliver on his biggest promise, leading Uganda to the Africa Cup of Nations and World Cup finals. His era also witnessed the chaos of two parallel leagues, a first in Ugandan football history.

Mulindwa’s resignation in 2013 marked the end of an era, one that reshaped Ugandan football, yet left the “holy grail” of continental and global qualification painfully elusive.