{UAH} Tom Lwanga
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Tom Lwanga
Thomas Lwanga was slender and although towering, was viewed as a weakling in a 70s era when brute strength, especially for defenders, was the order of the day.
Even at his peak, critics labelled him light and slow. Yet somehow, he compensated all this with an intricate art of game reading and is widely viewed as the most stylish defender in Ugandan football.
He was born to George William Wasswa and Mary Camlyne Nagadya and grew up with his mother at Mulago. Lwanga started his career with Mulago-based Santos FC in the late 60s, a non-league side that also featured his cousins Jimmy Kirunda and William Kityo. The team played at the famous 'Maracana' ground near Mulago hospital.
It's from here that he was spotted and signed by lower division British American Insurance (BAI FC) in 1971 for two years
When Division II side KCC FC hosted Fiat FC for a friendly at Lugogo in 1972, the latter hired Lwanga to strengthen their midfield. Fiat, which also featured the likes of Phillip Omondi and Richard Kembo, lost the game but KCC coach Bidandi Ssali, at the request of senior players Kirunda and goalie George Mukasa, recruited the impressive Lwanga, Omondi and Kembo.
At first, Bidandi deployed Lwanga as a winger and midfielder but due to his lack of pace, Bidandi converted him into a defender as a last-ditch effort to save the youngsters' football career. Indeed, Lwanga didn't like the new positioning but gradually, with the help of Kirunda, he started to enjoy his new role.
Sooner, the partnership worked and KCC qualified for the topflight in 1974. At the same time, the soft spoken player earned an invitation to the national youth side. The telephatic understanding saw KCC finish runners-up to Express in 1974 and 1975 by just a single point on both occasions.
Lwanga's form caught the eye of Cranes coach David Otti, who selected him for the team that played two friendly matches in Saudi Arabia in 1975. Later that year, he was in Zambia with The Cranes and appeared in the third place play-off game against Malawi.
By the 1976 Africa Cup of Nations held in Ethiopia in 1976, Lwanga had secured a permanent place in the national team, having taken over from veteran Ahmed Doka. Lwanga won his first silverware when KCC won the 1976 league championship and followed it up with the Cecafa title with The Cranes later in the year.
Always calculative, Lwanga was not only neat in his game approach but also in his jersey. He was renowned for being extremely clean so much so that even when KCC played on a soggy pitch, Lwanga always left the field as he entered. All he did was use his brains to pass and control the tempo. Such was his casual approach that he was always cool headed.
However, his tackling was suspect and due to his lack of pace, he accumulated a few bookings when faced with a fast striker. His chief tormentor was Maroons striker Elias Wapicho, who on three occasions had Lwanga sent off.
Lwanga was also an emotional character and would shed tears when his club lost, particularly in an upset. NIC FC was KCC's bogey side. Lwanga's partnership with Kirunda is incomparable but he also demonstrated that he could comfortably play with anyone.
In the run-up to the 1977 league title, which KCC comfortably retained, Kirunda moved upfront, leaving Lwanga to partner with Cloves Segujja (RIP), Rashid Mudin (RIP) and sometimes Peter Wandyette.
In January 1978, Lwanga scored the decisive spot-kick as KCC edged Tanzania's Simba to win the Cecafa Club championship. Two months later, he played in all five matches as Uganda finished runners-up to Ghana at the Africa Cup of Nations.
In November, however, Lwanga and The Cranes put up a poor performance at the Cecafa Cup. To make matters worse, KCC failed to retain the league title and abandoned their quarter final Uganda Cup game against Nytil FC.
A sudden turn of events saw Bidandi appointed cabinet minister in 1979 and Lwanga, who by now had been appointed as one of his assistants, took over the team. But barely two months into the hot seat, he signed for Ras al Khaim in UAE for three years.
His stint there didn't last long and he was soon back in 1984; this time as a fulltime player, with Moses Nsereko at the coaching helm. He featured in the Cecafa tournament held in Kenya but he was switched to midfield where he partnered Fred Mugisha and Wandyette.
He scored three goals as KCC eliminated Mozambique's Deportivo de Maputo on 9-3 aggregate in the Africa Club Championships. He was also part of the KCC side which nicked Coffee 3-2 to win the 1984 Uganda Cup at Bugembe Stadium.
Later that year, he was recalled to the national team and travelled to Zambia and Tanzania with The Cranes for the World Cup and Nations Cup qualifiers, both of which saw Uganda eliminated.
His partnership with Paul Hasule in the heart of the Cranes defence was vital in the 1984 Cecafa Cup held in Uganda. However, when Hasule was sidelined by an injury, Lwanga was red carded in the group game against Zambia at Nakivubo Stadium.
The red card was a result of a handball that stopped a goal-bound shot. Uganda lost the semis to Malawi. He quit the Cranes after the tournament but remained a key player in KCC and helped the side to win the 1985 league and the 1987 Uganda Cup titles. In 1987, he was appointed the club joint coach with John Latigo.
However, Latigo left for Europe a few months later and Lwanga was replaced by Polly Ouma in 1989. He bounced back in 1990 and guided KCC to the Uganda Cup title as well as the 1991 league crown.
He was sacked in January 1992, only to return six months later when Barnabas Mwesiga thew in the towel. He was again dropped in 1993 and bounced back in July 1997 with only five matches left in the season and KCC won the league title.
He was again axed months later, despite taking the club to the semi final of the 1997 Caf Cup. Since then, he remained at the club and served in various capacities but currently is Kampala City Council sports officer.
Lwanga's fact file
He won three league titles with KCC (1976, 1977 & 1985) and two Uganda Cup titles (1984 & 1987).
He won two league titles as KCC coach (1991 & 1997) and one Uganda Cup (1990).
He has served KCC FC for 34 years, of which ten years were spent on the pitch
He won two Cecafa Cups with Uganda (1976 & 1977) and played in two Nations Cup tournaments (1976 & 1978).
His Cranes career lasted seven years but unlike his national team contemporaries from the forces teams, Lwanga and a couple of ex-Cranes players got no reward from the state.
He holds an "A" licence in Football Coaching and Management.
He handled three teams (KCC, Coffee and Parliamentarians).
He has five children (four daughters and one son).
--
-- Thomas Lwanga was slender and although towering, was viewed as a weakling in a 70s era when brute strength, especially for defenders, was the order of the day.
Even at his peak, critics labelled him light and slow. Yet somehow, he compensated all this with an intricate art of game reading and is widely viewed as the most stylish defender in Ugandan football.
He was born to George William Wasswa and Mary Camlyne Nagadya and grew up with his mother at Mulago. Lwanga started his career with Mulago-based Santos FC in the late 60s, a non-league side that also featured his cousins Jimmy Kirunda and William Kityo. The team played at the famous 'Maracana' ground near Mulago hospital.
It's from here that he was spotted and signed by lower division British American Insurance (BAI FC) in 1971 for two years
When Division II side KCC FC hosted Fiat FC for a friendly at Lugogo in 1972, the latter hired Lwanga to strengthen their midfield. Fiat, which also featured the likes of Phillip Omondi and Richard Kembo, lost the game but KCC coach Bidandi Ssali, at the request of senior players Kirunda and goalie George Mukasa, recruited the impressive Lwanga, Omondi and Kembo.
At first, Bidandi deployed Lwanga as a winger and midfielder but due to his lack of pace, Bidandi converted him into a defender as a last-ditch effort to save the youngsters' football career. Indeed, Lwanga didn't like the new positioning but gradually, with the help of Kirunda, he started to enjoy his new role.
Sooner, the partnership worked and KCC qualified for the topflight in 1974. At the same time, the soft spoken player earned an invitation to the national youth side. The telephatic understanding saw KCC finish runners-up to Express in 1974 and 1975 by just a single point on both occasions.
Lwanga's form caught the eye of Cranes coach David Otti, who selected him for the team that played two friendly matches in Saudi Arabia in 1975. Later that year, he was in Zambia with The Cranes and appeared in the third place play-off game against Malawi.
By the 1976 Africa Cup of Nations held in Ethiopia in 1976, Lwanga had secured a permanent place in the national team, having taken over from veteran Ahmed Doka. Lwanga won his first silverware when KCC won the 1976 league championship and followed it up with the Cecafa title with The Cranes later in the year.
Always calculative, Lwanga was not only neat in his game approach but also in his jersey. He was renowned for being extremely clean so much so that even when KCC played on a soggy pitch, Lwanga always left the field as he entered. All he did was use his brains to pass and control the tempo. Such was his casual approach that he was always cool headed.
However, his tackling was suspect and due to his lack of pace, he accumulated a few bookings when faced with a fast striker. His chief tormentor was Maroons striker Elias Wapicho, who on three occasions had Lwanga sent off.
Lwanga was also an emotional character and would shed tears when his club lost, particularly in an upset. NIC FC was KCC's bogey side. Lwanga's partnership with Kirunda is incomparable but he also demonstrated that he could comfortably play with anyone.
In the run-up to the 1977 league title, which KCC comfortably retained, Kirunda moved upfront, leaving Lwanga to partner with Cloves Segujja (RIP), Rashid Mudin (RIP) and sometimes Peter Wandyette.
In January 1978, Lwanga scored the decisive spot-kick as KCC edged Tanzania's Simba to win the Cecafa Club championship. Two months later, he played in all five matches as Uganda finished runners-up to Ghana at the Africa Cup of Nations.
In November, however, Lwanga and The Cranes put up a poor performance at the Cecafa Cup. To make matters worse, KCC failed to retain the league title and abandoned their quarter final Uganda Cup game against Nytil FC.
A sudden turn of events saw Bidandi appointed cabinet minister in 1979 and Lwanga, who by now had been appointed as one of his assistants, took over the team. But barely two months into the hot seat, he signed for Ras al Khaim in UAE for three years.
His stint there didn't last long and he was soon back in 1984; this time as a fulltime player, with Moses Nsereko at the coaching helm. He featured in the Cecafa tournament held in Kenya but he was switched to midfield where he partnered Fred Mugisha and Wandyette.
He scored three goals as KCC eliminated Mozambique's Deportivo de Maputo on 9-3 aggregate in the Africa Club Championships. He was also part of the KCC side which nicked Coffee 3-2 to win the 1984 Uganda Cup at Bugembe Stadium.
Later that year, he was recalled to the national team and travelled to Zambia and Tanzania with The Cranes for the World Cup and Nations Cup qualifiers, both of which saw Uganda eliminated.
His partnership with Paul Hasule in the heart of the Cranes defence was vital in the 1984 Cecafa Cup held in Uganda. However, when Hasule was sidelined by an injury, Lwanga was red carded in the group game against Zambia at Nakivubo Stadium.
The red card was a result of a handball that stopped a goal-bound shot. Uganda lost the semis to Malawi. He quit the Cranes after the tournament but remained a key player in KCC and helped the side to win the 1985 league and the 1987 Uganda Cup titles. In 1987, he was appointed the club joint coach with John Latigo.
However, Latigo left for Europe a few months later and Lwanga was replaced by Polly Ouma in 1989. He bounced back in 1990 and guided KCC to the Uganda Cup title as well as the 1991 league crown.
He was sacked in January 1992, only to return six months later when Barnabas Mwesiga thew in the towel. He was again dropped in 1993 and bounced back in July 1997 with only five matches left in the season and KCC won the league title.
He was again axed months later, despite taking the club to the semi final of the 1997 Caf Cup. Since then, he remained at the club and served in various capacities but currently is Kampala City Council sports officer.
Lwanga's fact file
He won three league titles with KCC (1976, 1977 & 1985) and two Uganda Cup titles (1984 & 1987).
He won two league titles as KCC coach (1991 & 1997) and one Uganda Cup (1990).
He has served KCC FC for 34 years, of which ten years were spent on the pitch
He won two Cecafa Cups with Uganda (1976 & 1977) and played in two Nations Cup tournaments (1976 & 1978).
His Cranes career lasted seven years but unlike his national team contemporaries from the forces teams, Lwanga and a couple of ex-Cranes players got no reward from the state.
He holds an "A" licence in Football Coaching and Management.
He handled three teams (KCC, Coffee and Parliamentarians).
He has five children (four daughters and one son).
"When a man is stung by a bee, he doesn't set off to destroy all beehives"
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