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 2024 CAF SCHOOLS CHAMPS: CECAFA QUALIFIERS 

 FINAL RESULT 
Uganda 1-1 Tanzania
(Uganda win 4-2 on penalties)

For a second successive year, a Ugandan boys team will represent the CECAFA region at the CAF African Schools Championship, after St Mary's Kitende reigned supreme at the zonal qualifiers in Kenya's capital Nairobi on Wednesday.

St Mary's, who were stretched to the absolute limit by a combative Tanzania in the final decided by a penalty shootout at Kasarani Stadium, will be joined at next year's continental finals by fellow Ugandan side Kawempe Muslim Secondary School.

Kawempe Muslim, captained by the tournament's top goalscorer (five) Shadia Nabirye, won the zonal girls category after beating hosts Kenya 2-1 in the first final earlier in the day.

That means the CECAFA flag will be carried by two Ugandan teams next April.

A smooth qualification campaign saw coach Daniel Male's Kitende-based side win all five of their games in a round-robin format competition also featuring hosts Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and Somalia.

Then it all came down to the final showdown between Uganda and Tanzania — the top two ranked boys sides — with the former coming out on top in a pulsating final that featured a last-minute equalizer and eventual spotkicks, to complete a Ugandan double.

A successful campaign has seen Uganda's boys and girls representatives conclude these zonal qualifiers unbeaten and at the very top.

St Mary's now follow in the footsteps of Royal Giant High School, who qualified last year as CECAFA's boys category representatives in Durban, South Africa.

▪️  Uganda's Kawempe Muslim beat Kenya in girls final

Unbeaten Uganda reign supreme

At this year's qualifiers, the Ugandan U15 boys meant business as they hit the ground running on Monday with a 3-0 win over Somalia, thanks to Disan Mwebe's double and a Somali own goal.

Later the same day, St Mary's Kitende shook off Burundi, with Simon Wanyama's brace proving decisive in a 2-0 result.

On Tuesday, Uganda cruised to a third successive victory as they edged Tanzania 1-0 again through Wanyama.

The high-flying Wanyama went on to score twice again that very day as Uganda mantained their winning streak with a 2-1 win over hosts Kenya to solidify their position at the summit of the boys standings on a maximum 12 points.

Having already qualified for the final to face Tanzania again, Uganda went into their penultimate game against Rwanda as firm favourites but without letting the pressure get to them.

It was only towards the end of the game, while leading 3-1, that a reckless foul on an advancing Rwandan forward saw the Ugandan goalkeeper shown a straight red card with four minutes to go.

The imbalance in personnel did not change the dimension of the contest and Uganda, despite a boy short, managed to see this out to seal their fifth victory ahead of the big one only hours away.

The competition's strongest boys teams arrived for the final on the back of big wins earlier in the day.

After Uganda beat Rwanda 3-1 to finish top of the log on 15 points, Tanzania followed with a 3-0 victory over Somalia to take second place on 12 points and set up an exciting conclusion.

The Ugandan boys knew attention back home was firmly on them after their female compatriots had successfully finished their job earlier in the day.

A high tempo opening half saw Ugandan goalkeeper Adrian Mukwanga block a fierce close-range shot inside the box eight minutes into the game.

In a very physical contest, both young sides banked on long passes and blistering attacking football, with neither side able to string a sustained series of passes.

Knowing all too well the potent that the Ugandans carried into the final third, Tanzania worked overtime to keep them at bay, often restricting their opponents to rushed releasing of the ball and tight-marking.

A fast-paced first half failed to separate the two sides, albeit with both keepers tested, as the scoreline remained intact.

The breakthrough remained elusive for most of the second period...until it finally arrived in the 34th minute (every half was 20 minutes long).

St Mary's were awarded a freekick just outside the box on the right flank. Ashraf Kyakuwa was the man to deliver.

He lifted his kick deep into the area, before the ball hurtled into the back of the net beyond the reach of the outstretched Tanzanian keeper, who was reduced to slamming the ground in frustration, perhaps knowing he had paid the price of wandering off his line a little too far.

But one minute before time, Tanzania, feeling a sense of injustice after they had thought their man was brought down marginally inside the box, instead were awarded a freekick right on the boundary.

The resulting delivery beat goalkeeper Mukwanga to send the contest directly into the dreaded penalties.

Eventually, the Ugandan takers coolly slotted home all their penalties and did not even need to take fifth because the Tanzanians missed their first and fourth to send the Ugandan camp into ultimate celebrations against the contrasting scenes of tears and disconsolate embraces in their opponents' camp.

Mission complete for the two victorious Ugandan teams in Nairobi. Celebrations back home in Kampala.

Now that CECAFA's two representatives are known, the region's collective hopes will rest on Uganda in next year's final tournament.

In the 2023 edition, which took place in the South African city of Durban in April, the region's boys representatives, Royal Giant High School, fell short.

It was the girls, Fountain Gate Dodoma Secondary School of Tanzania, that went all the way and won it.