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Today, Ivan Ahimbisibwe and Shafik Nana Kwikiriza are poised to join the elite group of KCCA FC players who have participated in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
As the Uganda Cranes take to the pitch in Morocco for the 2025 edition, these two stars have the opportunity to write their names in the club’s folklore alongside legends like Tom Lwanga, Phillip Omondi (RIP), Moses Nsereko (RIP), and Jimmy Kirunda (RIP).
Both Ahimbsibwe and Kwikiriza have been instrumental in KCCA FC’s domestic dominance this season, earning their spots in coach Paul Put’s final 28-man squad for AFCON 2025
KCCA FC Hall of Fame
KCCA FC has historically been the backbone of the Uganda Cranes. Here are the players who have featured in the AFCON tournament while playing for KCCA FC.
The Golden Era (1970s)
1974 & 1976: Jimmy Kirunda, Ashe Mukasa, Moses Nsereko, Tom Lwanga, and Phillip Omondi. These legends defined Ugandan football in the 70s.
The 1978 Dream Team
KCCA FC players were the core of the legendary 1978 squad that reached the AFCON final against Ghana. Phillip Omondi, arguably Uganda’s greatest footballer, finished as the tournament’s joint top scorer with 3 goals alongside Opoku Afriyie of Ghana and Segun Odegbami of Nigeria. Moses Nsereko was named in the CAF Team of the Tournament.
The 1978 crop remains the club’s proudest contribution to the national team, with 11 players, eight of them as starters, all hailing from KCCA: Jimmy Kirunda (captain), Phillip Omondi (Golden Boot winner with 3 goals), Tom Lwanga, Moses Nsereko, Ashe Mukasa, Sam Musenze, Jamil Kasirye, Moses Ssentamu, Hussein Matovu, Rashid Mudin, and Timothy Ayiekoh.
The Uganda Cranes took 39 years to return to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) after their 1978 appearance, finally qualifying for the 2017 tournament in Gabon and ending a long drought of near misses.
2017 (Gabon): Joseph Ochaya, Timothy Dennis Awany, Geoffrey Sserunkuma
2019 (Egypt): Timothy Dennis Awany, Allan Kyambadde, and Patrick Henry Kaddu, who scored Uganda’s opening goal against DR Congo.
2025 (Morocco): Ivan Ahimbisibwe and Shafik Kwikiriza.
If either Kwikiriza or Ahimbisibwe makes the matchday squad or steps onto the pitch today, they will join the Elite Class of KCCA FC players that have featured in an AFCON tournament.
For Ahimbisibwe, it is a culmination of a journey from the lower divisions to the pinnacle of African football, while for Kwikiriza, it confirms his status as one of the brightest young prospects in the country.
Uganda is pitted in Group C alongside Tunisia, Nigeria, and Tanzania.
Uganda will take on Tunisia at 11 p.m. EAT at the Stade Olympique Annexe Complex, Sportif Prince Abdellah.
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