Uganda Secondary Schools Sports Associations (USSSA) under the guidance of the Ministry of Education and Sports has upheld the suspension of two secondary schools for 365 days for using ineligible players during the USSSA Games in 2023.

Kawempe Royal College and Tororo Town College were found guilty of fielding ineligible players during the 2023 USSSA national boys football championship at Nyakasula School in Kabarole where they were dismissed before the end of the tournament, a decision they appealed.

Royal Giants ban has been relaxed

However, a national appeals committee sitting at the Ministry of Education and Sports and chaired by the PES commissioner Rev. Can. Duncans Mugumya, decided to uphold the punishment after the two sides were found guilty.

In the report of the committee findings early this week, Kawempe Royal College was found guilty of fielding Sooka Burst who had three different pass slips with one of them reading index number 00189/046/2018 which proved a forgery that caused the upholding of the ban for a year and the student banned from all USSSA competitions.

Michael Kimera (grey) who featured as Luganzi Wilber for Welden School

Tororo Town College had fielded Onyango Stephen, Okello Mike, Okello Jonathan, and Egip Sulpher who had earlier before the tournament, had been screened out and when they were petitioned, the players in question were not presented for re-screening.

“USSSA is doing everything possible to eliminate cases of impersonation and ineligibility from our games and this will send a signal to those that were planning to keep on with the vice in the coming competitions. We Must work against ineligibility in our games, that is our objective now,” Said USSSA CEO Chris Mugisha.

In the same way, the committee relaxed punishment on four other schools ie Welden School Mbarara, Nganwa High School Sheema, Royal Giants Mityana, and La Mennais girls school Kyotera.

Michael Kimera (grey) who featured for Welden School as Wilber Luganzi has been slapped with a life ban

Welden school had been discontinued from USSSA boys football in Kabalore after being found guilty of fielding one Wilber Luganzi whose real name according to his FUFA licence were Michael Kimera Kibi but it was discovered that the school was not in wrong but only the said player.

In the same way, Nganwa High had fielded Ibrahim Mukalazi who was using Goodhope Abigaba as his name. Royal Giants who used Gerald Ainebyona whose name on the index number was not similar to the ones on his FUFA license and La Mennais who fielded Jesica Namanda whose real name was Zahara Nakasiita, were all pardoned but the players in question were banned from all USSSA organized events.

This year’s USSSA ball games I will be held at Ndejje SS in Luwero and Ball Games II will be hosted by Teso College Aloet while Masaka SS will host the boys’ football competitions.