Fortebet Award: The Real Punisher is Finally Celebrated

By Kayiira Jackson 

Veteran women’s football coach and administrator Ayub Khalifa Kiyingi has been honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his more than two decades of service to the development of women’s and girls’ football in Uganda.

Kiyingi on Tuesday at Naijing Hotel in Kololo received the award from Fortebet in conjunction with Jude Color Solutions and Real Star Sports Agency, adding another recognition to a coaching career that has seen him become one of the most successful figures in Uganda’s women’s game.

Speaking after receiving the accolade, Kiyingi said the recognition was a reflection of a journey that began more than 25 years ago and has been largely driven by his commitment to developing the girl child.

“I am really honoured and very humbled for the achievement award given to me. It has not been an easy journey, but when we look back around 25 years ago when I entered this game, I dedicated my time to developing girl-child and women’s football,” Kiyingi said.

“For me, I am proud that I have achieved, seeing my players progressing, prospering and getting somewhere better. It was one of my dreams.”

Kiyingi’s influence has stretched from school football to the domestic women’s league and the national teams, with his coaching career closely associated with the rise of Kawempe Muslim.

He has been involved with Kawempe Muslim since the early 2000s and has played a central role in turning the institution into one of Uganda’s most successful centres for girls’ football.

His journey at Kawempe Muslim began when he joined the school in 1999 and started working with a small group of girls who were passionate about football. As the numbers increased, a girls’ team was eventually formed despite initial resistance to girls playing football at the Muslim-founded institution.

The decision proved transformative. Under Kiyingi’s guidance, Kawempe Muslim developed into a powerhouse in Ugandan schools football and became a major pathway for young female players into the national team and professional football.

Kiyingi has guided Kawempe Muslim to eight national schools girls’ football championships since 2013, alongside three East African secondary schools titles. His success has also extended to the domestic women’s league, where Kawempe Muslim Ladies FC recently secured their sixth top-flight league title in the 2025/26 season.

The 2025/26 league and CECAFA Zonal Qualifiers title triumph further cemented his reputation as the most successful coach in Ugandan women’s football.

Beyond the school and club game, Kiyingi has also enjoyed success on the international stage.

In 2019, he guided Uganda’s U17 women’s national team to the COSAFA U17 Women’s Championship title in Mauritius, before leading the team to victory in the inaugural CECAFA U17 Women’s Championship later that year. Uganda won the CECAFA tournament after an unbeaten campaign of four victories and one draw.

Those achievements are among the milestones Kiyingi reflected on while receiving his Lifetime Achievement Award.

“I think I was the first coach to bring the international trophy here. You talked about COSAFA, I brought the first COSAFA U17 from Mauritius, first CECAFA U17 and actually I am very happy that I brought the first CECAFA club championship.”

Kiyingi has also served Uganda at national-team level, including as head coach of the U17 and U20 women’s teams and as part of the Crested Cranes technical setup. FUFA appointed him as the inaugural head coach of the Uganda U17 women’s team in 2019, while he later served as head coach of the U20 side.

His coaching philosophy goes beyond winning trophies.

Kiyingi says he approaches his players as a parent, with their personal development and future success carrying as much importance as their performances on the pitch.

“When I am training these players on the pitch, I take myself as a parent and one of my main objectives is to see them prosper. So every time I see them get recognised, moving to a better club, that’s my happiness,” he said.

That philosophy has produced a long list of players who have gone on to represent Uganda and play professionally.

Among the players associated with his development programme are Phiona Nabulime, Sandra Nabweteme, Hasifah Nassuna, Ruth Aturo, Aisha Nantongo, Juliet Nalukenge, Hadijah Nandago and Fauzia Najjemba, among others. Several of his former players have gone on to represent the Crested Cranes, play in foreign leagues and feature for leading clubs in the region.

For Kiyingi, therefore, his legacy is not simply measured by trophies but by the careers and lives of the players he has helped shape.

His record includes multiple domestic league championships, numerous national schools titles, East African schools trophies and international success with Uganda’s junior national teams.

Now, with the Lifetime Achievement Award added to his list of honours, Kiyingi’s career stands as one of the clearest examples of the impact that long-term investment in girls’ football can have.