Ranking: Uganda Premier League’s Top Five Performers

With the 2025/26 Uganda Premier League season just three matchdays away from conclusion, the debate on the best of the season should now start.

From title challengers to surprise packages, several players have lit up the league with consistency, influence and moments of brilliance.

At SportsNation Uganda, we took on the difficult task of identifying the season’s leading lights — narrowing a longlist of 25 exceptional performers down to just five names ahead of the final stretch of the campaign.

Unsurprisingly, the selected five come from the league’s current top five sides, but the process was anything but straightforward.

Talents such as Frank Ssebuufu, Usama Arafat, Lawrence Olaboro, Reagan Kalyowa, Hassan Mubiru, Patrick Kaddu, not to mention KCCA’s exciting youngsters Brian Ijjara and Sammy Ssebaduka, alongside Ambrose Kigozi, all made compelling cases for inclusion.

But with only five spots available, some painful omissions were always inevitable.

Number 5: David Lukwago (SC Villa)

I can confidently say he has been the signing of the season. He joined the club in August last year from FUFA Big League side Kiyinda Boys after SC Villa lost Meddie Kibirige. At the time, the Jogoos were simply looking for backup in goal, with Norman Angufindri and Braddy Jeans Wokorach already at the club.

However, Lukwago has proven to be far more than just a backup. He stepped in impressively and quickly showed that he deserved to be the club’s first-choice goalkeeper.

A former Express FC Junior Team goalkeeper, Lukwago arrived with doubts from some quarters about whether he was ready for the big stage, but he has silenced those critics with a string of commanding performances.

One of his standout displays came at Kadiba, where SC Villa held Vipers SC to a 1-1 draw. He earned the Player of the Match award after producing several outstanding saves, including a brilliant late stop to deny Milton Karisa.

SC Villa have conceded the fewest goals in the league this season — just 14 — and much of the credit goes to Lukwago, who has kept 15 clean sheets, including the forfeited fixture against Calvary FC.

The only clean sheet he did not contribute to came in Villa’s goalless draw against Lugazi FC, where Braddy Jeans Wokorach stepped in between the posts.

Number 4: Ivan Ahimbisibwe (KCCA)

Ivan Ahimbisibwe currently leads the Uganda Premier League scoring charts this season with 13 goals.

With three matches still to play, he remains on course to surpass the 16-goal tally he managed last season at URA FC, when he lost out on the Golden Boot to Allan Okello, who finished with 19 goals.

His goals kept KCCA FC firmly in the title race, despite the many challenges that have surrounded the club throughout the campaign — circumstances that were largely beyond his control.

There were some doubts about his poaching ability when he arrived from URA, but his reunion with coach Brian Ssenyondo, whom he previously worked with at Synergy FC, has paid off handsomely.

KCCA had long searched for a reliable number nine following the departure of Shaban Muhammad, and in Ahimbisibwe, they appear to have found the perfect replacement.

Silverware may not arrive this season, but Ahimbisibwe has established himself as one of the key players the club can build around moving forward, with the responsibility of leading the line and carrying the scoring burden.

Number 3: Yunus Sibira (Kitara)

Yunus Sibira has quietly been Kitara’s unsung hero this season.

One of the many signings the club made ahead of the campaign, Sibira joined on a two-year deal from Buhimba FC. His arrival may not have generated as much excitement as some of the club’s bigger-name additions, such as Murushid Juuko, but coach Wasswa Bbosa knew exactly what he was getting, having previously worked with the midfielder at Mbarara City FC and Gaddafi FC, now known as UPPC.

Operating as a holding midfielder, Sibira has brought balance and solidity to Kitara’s midfield. Alongside Emmanuel Alex Wasswa, Muhammad Ssenoga and Gaddafi Wahab, he has helped make the side compact in the middle of the park while also offering vital protection to the defence marshalled by the likes of Issa Lumu, Murushid Juuko, Benjamin Nyakoojo, Samuel Kato and Edward Namasa.

His consistency has made many at the club quickly move on from the departure of David Ndihabwe, who operated in that area last season.

While Patrick Kaddu has delivered the goals and Meddie Kibirige has enjoyed a standout campaign, Sibira has arguably been the heartbeat of the team. He has linked defence to attack brilliantly, while his recent growing chemistry and understanding with Jimmy Kalema on the right flank has gone largely underrated.

Number 2: Hannington Ssebwalunyo (NEC)

In February this year, Hannington Ssebwalunyo signed a new contract with NEC FC, extending his stay at the club until 2028.

For NEC, the decision was an easy one, considering the outstanding performances of the goalkeeper, especially this season, which is shaping up to be his finest since joining the club in July 2024.

Ssebwalunyo has now gone close to 900 minutes without conceding a goal — an incredible run that includes 10 consecutive clean sheets, on top of several others recorded earlier in the campaign.

To make his season even more remarkable, the goalkeeper has also scored twice, against Mbarara City FC and URA FC. Both goals came from the penalty spot, including one rebound after his initial effort had been saved.

Earlier in the season, goalkeeping duties were shared between Ssebwalunyo, Benjamin Ochan and Samson Kiirya. However, the turning point came in the second half of the campaign, around the same time Ochan announced his retirement.

After Ochan conceded three goals in NEC’s 3-3 draw against Kitara FC, the decision to restore Ssebwalunyo as the undisputed first-choice goalkeeper became inevitable — and the rest, as they say, is history.

Number 1: Karim Watambala (Vipers)

Vipers SC find themselves in a strong position to win the Uganda Premier League title, and that should not come as a surprise considering the wealth of talent available at Kitende.

However, what has surprised many is how Karim Watambala has taken over responsibility to emerge as the team’s driving force this season. The midfielder has been the engine of the side — a relentless box-to-box presence who has dictated games with his energy, intensity and quality on the ball.

Beyond his industrious displays, Watambala has also added goals to his game, stepping up at a time when the club’s strikers, including Yunus Sentamu, Isaac Ogwang and Glodi Beyuku Monsi, have struggled for consistency in front of goal.

Watambala has scored 10 league goals so far, including a remarkable run in which he found the net in five consecutive matches against Mbarara City FC, URA FC twice, Police FC, Buhimba FC and BUL FC. Impressively, he stepped up just as the club was adapting to life after the departure of last season’s top scorer Allan Okello to Young Africans SC.

He has also contributed three assists — at least according to official UPL records — with perhaps the most important coming recently at Lugogo, where he set up Glodi Beyuku Monsi for the equaliser against KCCA FC. That result could prove decisive in the title race.

Watambala has dominated games throughout the campaign, producing Player of the Match performances against Mbarara City FC, URA FC and UPDF FC. As for his work rate, that deserves an article of its own.