Mbarara City have publicly set their sights on winning the 2026/27 Uganda Premier League. New players and fresh sponsorship give the Ankole Lions reason for optimism, but their own history shows just how significant a transformation will be required.
There is nothing wrong with ambition, and Mbarara City have certainly shown plenty of it ahead of the new Uganda Premier League season.
The Ankole Lions have declared that their target is to win the 2026/27 title, a statement that immediately raises expectations around a club whose recent battles have largely been about remaining competitive rather than challenging Uganda’s traditional heavyweights.
For context, Mbarara City have spent eight seasons in the top flight since first earning promotion in 2017.
Their finishing positions tell a story of a club that has occasionally threatened to break into the upper tier without sustaining the progress.
They finished 11th in their debut 2017/18 campaign before producing their best season a year later, taking fifth place in 2018/19.
Seventh-place finishes followed in both 2019/20 and the Covid-affected 2020/21 campaign, before the club dropped to its lowest point, finishing 15th and suffering relegation in 2021/22.
Mbarara returned immediately after finishing runners-up in the 2022/23 FUFA Big League but have since placed 11th, 12th and 12th in three consecutive Premier League seasons.
That history is important because it places the new target in perspective. Mbarara are not trying to reclaim former glory; they are attempting to reach a level they have never occupied.
The 2018/19 benchmark
The closest Mbarara City have come to Uganda’s summit remains the 2018/19 campaign under Livingstone Mbabazi.
They won 12 of their 30 matches, drew 10 and lost eight to collect 46 points. They scored 34 goals and conceded 24, eventually finishing fifth.
Yet even that remains instructive: champions KCCA accumulated 66 points, meaning Mbarara’s finest league side still finished 20 points short of the title.
The gap today is even wider
Mbarara finished last season with only 26 points from 30 matches, recording six wins, eight draws and 16 defeats. They scored 26 goals and conceded 47.
Champions Vipers finished with 67 points after losing only once all season, scoring 55 times and conceding just 17, 41 points behind the champions.
It is the size of that difference, rather than the preseason declaration, that should shape the debate around whether they can genuinely challenge.
Goals must come
Recruitment is an obvious starting point, and Mbarara have moved aggressively. Brian Aheebwa returns to familiar surroundings after his spell at Arba Minch City in Ethiopia, while Rogers Mugisha arrives from KCCA.
Ivan Bogere has been recruited from UPDF and Eric Tumwine from Kitara, with Solomon Okwalinga, Iran Musinguzi, Hassan Akoragye and Mahad Rashid among the other additions.
Aheebwa is particularly interesting because he was part of Mbarara during their strongest period in the top flight and gives them a forward familiar with both the club and the demands of the league.
But names alone will not solve their biggest problem
Mbarara scored only 22 goals in 29 matches in 2023/24, another 22 in 30 games the following season and 26 last term. Over those three campaigns, that is just 70 goals in 89 league games.
A team averaging fewer than a goal per match over such an extended period cannot realistically talk about winning a championship without a considerable attacking transformation.
Aheebwa and the other attacking additions therefore have to improve more than individual numbers. Mbarara need to create more chances, score regularly away from home and develop several sources of goals rather than placing the burden on one striker.
Stability beyond transfers
There is also the question of technical and administrative stability, Livingstone Mbabazi was dismissed towards the end of the 2024/25 season.
Simon Peter Mugerwa was subsequently appointed but lasted only six league matches of 2025/26 after the team failed to win any of them, with Zaidi Byekwaso eventually taking charge during the campaign.
Championship-winning sides normally require continuity in philosophy, recruitment and decision-making. Mbarara cannot afford another season where results trigger repeated alterations to the technical bench.
The new board chaired by club president Mwine Mpaka must therefore provide more than enthusiasm. It must establish clear responsibility between the board, management and technical staff, ensure salaries and contractual obligations are met and protect football decisions from unnecessary instability.
The financial picture has at least received a significant boost
The four-year Africa Coffee Park sponsorship, potentially guarantees the club Shs1.32 billion over the life of the agreement.
For Mbarara, the value will be measured not simply by the size of the cheque but by whether it allows the club to retain its best players, recruit selectively and operate without the financial disruptions that often undermine Ugandan clubs.
Home must feel like home
The stadium question is equally important, with Kakyeka unavailable, Mbarara have been looking towards Africa Coffee Park Stadium in Rwashameire, Ntungamo, subject to the necessary approval.
The venue remains within the wider Ankole region, but it takes the club away from its traditional Mbarara base. Africa Coffee Park itself is located in Rwashameire, Ntungamo District.
A title challenger must make home matches count, Mbarara will need to ensure that moving away from Kakyeka does not translate into reduced crowds, weaker atmosphere and lost commercial opportunities.
There is also an administrative warning, FUFA initially granted Mbarara a Category Two licence for 2026/27, meaning the club had met mandatory requirements but still had best-practice conditions to address.
That may appear distant from matters on the pitch, but championship clubs normally reflect strength throughout the organisation.
Ambition must become numbers
Mbarara City deserve credit for setting a target greater than survival. Their history, however, suggests that winning the league would constitute an extraordinary leap rather than the natural next stage in their development.
Their best finish remains fifth, they have been relegated once, have finished outside the top 10 in each of their three seasons since returning to the Premier League, and last season ended 41 points behind the champions.
For the title declaration to become credible, Mbarara must dramatically improve their scoring, cut the goals conceded, turn home games into a reliable source of points, maintain a settled technical structure and ensure their improved finances translate directly into football performance.
