Dr. Azah Taibu Takes Over UWFA with Shs518m Budget on the Table
By Kayiira Jackson
Dr. Azah Taibu has been elected the new Chairperson of the Uganda Women Football Association (UWFA), replacing Margaret Kubingi Fatia, who has stepped down from the chairpersonship after leading the association since 2017.
Taibu, who also serves as the FUFA Second Vice President, was confirmed as the new UWFA Chairperson on Wednesday after emerging unopposed during the association’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) held at Buganda Royal Institute.
Ben Mwesigwa, who represented the FUFA Electoral Committee, announced Taibu as the new chairperson, with her mandate running until 2029.
In her maiden speech, Taibu pledged to work collectively with the members to strengthen UWFA and transform it into a more recognized and adequately resourced association.
“We will grow the business of this association together. I am just going to lead you, but we are equally responsible to grow this association to a recognized one,” Taibu said.
The new chairperson also expressed concern about the limited financial resources that have previously been available to the association, saying there is room to significantly increase its financial capacity.
“I thank the former executive for the great work. I looked at their budget and got surprised. They have been working without enough resources. So I want to see that we increase the resources and it’s very possible,” Dr. Azah said.
Outgoing chairperson Margaret Kubingi Fatia, who has led UWFA since 2017, confirmed that she and other members of the association persuaded Taibu to take up the leadership of UWFA.
Kubingi explained that the decision was partly driven by the need to strengthen the relationship between UWFA and the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA).
“I myself and a few others convinced Doctor to join us,” Kubingi revealed.
She added:
“I requested her to come as our Chairperson. She first hesitated, claiming that she is very busy, but I persisted because she sits on the high table and I saw a great gap between us and the Federation. So having her here, that gap is closed.”
Kubingi will now return to the leadership structure as the First Vice Chairperson, after serving as UWFA chairperson since 2017.
UWFA Approves Record Shs518 Million Budget
The AGM also approved a budget of Shs518 million for the 2026/27 financial year, making it the biggest budget estimate in the history of the association.
The approved budget represents a significant increase from the previous financial year, when UWFA records show that the association spent only Shs11.688 million.
The new financial plan is expected to support the association’s efforts to increase the visibility of women’s football activities across the country.
Among the planned activities are workshops, evaluation exercises and grassroots tournaments aimed at identifying and developing women’s football talent.
The new leadership is expected to use the increased budget to expand UWFA programmes and strengthen its activities at grassroots level.
New UWFA Executive Committee
The new UWFA executive committee, whose mandate runs until 2029, is composed of:
- Chairperson: Dr. Azah Taibu
- 1st Vice Chairperson: Bakari Aisha
- 2nd Vice Chairperson: Shaka Wilber
- Member: Birungi Caroline
- Member: Wassago Dennis
- Member: Awuye Yusuf
- Member: Nakunda Glorious
- Member: Ayesiga Rogers
- Member: Nakanwagi Dorothy
Co-opted members:
- Florence Bagunya Nkalubo
- Farida Bulega.