The first Ugandan to coach an English football club

When Christopher Mark Kiwomya joined Ipswich Town club in 1987, he was lucky to have immediately joined first team to make a mark in the English Premier League.

Kiwomya played over 250 games and was the club’s top scorer in the 1991-92 season. His good performance helped Ipswich to be promoted to the premier league.

At the same time, Kiwomya played for the England U21 team. This prevented him from playing for the Uganda Cranes, which he qualified for through his parentage.

In 2008, after retiring, he was appointed reserve team coach at Ipswich Town.

Last month, Kiwomya was appointed caretaker manager at Notts County, being the first Ugandan to manage an English football club. His appointment came with a one-year contract.

The 43-year-old took control of the club’s affairs as a development squad manager in February last year, after the club parted ways with former manager Keith Curle.

Born on December 2, 1969, in Huddersfield, England, Kiwomya also played for Arsenal in 1995. But he failed to make a lasting impression for the Gunners. As a striker, he scored three goals in 17 appearances in the 1994 -1995 season.

Kiwomya remained an Arsenal player, but spent the following term on loan at French team Le Havre. He finally left Arsenal for Queen’s Park Rangers in May 1998.

In August 1998, more than three years after his last game for Arsenal, he finally left Highbury on a free transfer and signed for QPR.

He played for QPR for three seasons, scoring 30 times in almost 100 appearances before joining AaB Aalborg in Denmark in 2001, again on a free transfer.

His contract was cancelled later that year after he failed to secure a first team place and he returned to England to trial for Grimsby Town, where he remained at the club for two months on a non-contract basis, but failed to make an appearance.

He then joined Sheffield United on trial, but failed to secure a contract with The Blades and subsequently called time on his professional football career.

According to UK's Daily Mail, the Notts County board was impressed with Kiwomya’s work and put its faith in him for the club’s remaining 13 matches.