It was the Edgar Akimanzi show as the Makerere Impis put on a rugby masterclass to secure their second win of the national promotional playoffs.
The Graveyard side made their intentions known early on in the first half, with 2 quick Akimanzi penalties, followed by a Philip Mutebi try in the left corner that was converted by the Impis flyhalf.
At this point, the boys in green had stamped their authority on the game and never looked back.
The Kakira Simbas responded through two Maxwell Ebonga penalties in the first half, but they weren’t enough to close the gap on the hosts. A missed drop from the former Jinja Hippos star kept the Simbas at 6 points while the Impis added two more penalties behalf the break, through the man of the match, Akimanzi.
The second half got off to a slow start, and the Simbas looked like they could get something from the game, but then they suffered 2 yellow cards that left them 14 men for most of the second half. A try by eighth Man Pius Mpoza, from a dominant Impis scrum stretched the leader further, with a conversion and penalty from Akimanzi, sealing the comfortable win for Impis.
With the Gulu City Falcons RFC securing a resounding 31-07 victory over the KIU Crows, the pressure is now with the Kakira Simbas to redeem themselves when they make the trip to Ishaka on the 7th June, 2025.
For the Impis, a Northern conquest would confirm their place in next year’s Uganda Rugby Premiership, but they are already comfortably on the way up, a thing that coach Nkamba disputes.
“Mathematically, we have not achieved our target of the playoffs but with a game to go we know what to do to secure the end goal of promotion and we shall work towards that this week. Our last step is to ensure we keep Gulu (City Falcons) at bay and make sure all our systems on the day are working,” remarked the young gaffer.
The Impis are on course to go unbeaten this year, momentum they hope to maintain, when, rather than if, they get promoted to the top tier of Ugandan rugby.
Saturday, 7th June, 2025.
- Gulu City Falcons Vs Makerere Impis – Gulu
- KIU Crows Vs Kakira Simbas – Ishaka
Table Standings
| Teams | P | W | L | D | Points |
| IMPIS | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Gulu City Falcons | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Kakira Simbas | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| KIU Crows | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |