By Ronnie Wabomba
MBALE CITY
Manafwa District will take on Mbale City Industrial Division in the final of the inaugural Bugisu Inter-District Football Tournament on Tuesday, 26th August 2025, at Mbale Stadium.
To reach the final, Manafwa defeated Namisindwa 3-2 in the two-legged quarterfinals, before overcoming Sironko 3-2 in a five-goal thriller at Mbale Stadium during the semifinals.
On the other side, Mbale City Industrial Division which is coached by Godfrey Toldo Awachango beat Bulambuli District 5-3 on aggregate in the two-legged quarterfinals, then defeated Mbale District 2-0 in the semifinals, courtesy of goals from Kataka FC duo Aka Marcus Christian and Usama Khayemba.
Before the final, there will be two curtain-raising corporate games: Mbale City Police will face Mbale City Referees, and Mbale Media Team will play Bungokho Veterans. Winners in each category will receive a cash prize of 500,000 shillings.
The Bugisu Inter-District Football Tournament is fully sponsored by Dr. Steven Eric Keddi Zuluba, a Ugandan philanthropist and founder of the Keddi Foundation, who is expected to grace the final.
The Chairperson of the Organizing Committee of the tournament , Ali Muyinda — popularly known as Prince Igwe — is a qualified coach, licensed referee, sports media personality, teacher, politician, and corporate footballer. He says the main objective of the tournament is talent identification, adding that while it has been launched in the Bugisu Region, it will expand to other regions of the country.
The prize money of Bugisu Inter-District Football Tournament is highly attractive: the winner takes home a big bull and 2 million shillings; the runner-up receives 2 million shillings; third place gets 1 million shillings; and fourth place takes 500,000 shillings.
The rules of the Bugisu Inter-District Football Tournament allow teams to change their squads from match to match. It is open to all players, regardless of the leagues they play in or their place of origin, ensuring inclusiveness.
