Muhumuza, Byekwaso to lead Uganda Cranes at CHAN 2024

The Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) has officially appointed Fred Muhumuza and Morley Byekwaso as coaches to lead the Uganda Cranes at the upcoming 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN).

“FUFA is pleased to announce the appointment of the following coaching panel for the Uganda National Team participating in the CHAN 2024 tournament,” the federation said in a statement on Wednesday, June 18.

The 2024 CHAN tournament will take place August 2-30, 2025, and will be co-hosted by Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania under the ‘Pamoja East Africa’ banner.

“The coaching panel comprises Fred Muhumuza and Morley Byekwaso,” the FUFA statement continued. “Both coaches will be supervised and monitored by Uganda Cranes head coach Paul Put throughout the team's participation in the tournament.”

This appointment reunites two coaches with recent experience on the national team bench. Muhumuza and Byekwaso previously served in an interim capacity in October 2023, following the departure of then-head coach Milutin “Micho” Sredojevic.

They led the Cranes in international friendly matches against Mali and Zambia, held in Bamako and Sharjah, respectively.

Fred Muhumuza

Muhumuza steps into the role following a successful domestic campaign. Currently co-head coach at Vipers SC, he recently guided the team to a domestic double, securing the 2024/25 Uganda Premier League title and the Stanbic Uganda Cup.

Byekwaso, on the other hand, brings a wealth of experience from youth football. He is best known for leading Uganda’s U20 men’s team, the Hippos, to two continental finals. Under his guidance, the team finished as runners-up at the 2021 AFCON U20 tournament and again claimed silver at the 2024 African Games.

Uganda will be making its seventh appearance at the CHAN finals, having featured in the 2011, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022 editions.

Despite regular qualification, the Cranes have consistently fallen short of the knockout stages, a record this new technical team will be eager to change.

The team will operate under the strategic oversight of head coach Paul Put, who is tasked with aligning the CHAN team with the broader national football philosophy and ensuring technical consistency across all Cranes squads.

“Further technical personnel will be announced in due course, following the naming of the squad,” FUFA confirmed.

CHAN, which is held every two years, offers a vital platform for locally based players to showcase their talent on the continental stage. With Uganda co-hosting the tournament, the Cranes will hope to make the most of the home advantage and deliver a memorable performance.