Match Day 4 of the StarTimes Uganda Premier League delivered action-packed encounters, dramatic comebacks, and a reshuffle at the top of the table.
KCCA continued their winning momentum, while URA and Vipers produced commanding performances to close in on the summit, as strikers Ivan Ahimbisibwe and Seri Arigumaho continued to impress.
UPDF 1-0 Wakiso Giants: UPDF Edge Past Wakiso in Bombo
The match day kicked off on Tuesday, October 1, with UPDF hosting Wakiso Giants at Bombo Military Barracks.
Samuel Ssekamate’s second-half strike earned UPDF a narrow 1-0 victory, handing Wakiso Giants their first defeat of the season.
Despite dominating large portions of the match, the Purple Sharks couldn’t find the back of the net, with UPDF goalkeeper James Alitho making crucial saves to keep the visitors at bay.
Bright Stars 0-1 KCCA: KCCA Move Top with Victory at Kavumba
KCCA registered a vital 1-0 win over Bright Stars at Kavumba, a result that propelled them to the top of the table with ten points from four games.
The decisive moment came through a well-crafted play involving Saidi Mayanja, who set up Derrick Nsibambi to score the winner at the half-hour mark.
The victory marks KCCA’s first away win of the season, and keeps the Lugogo-based side unbeaten.
BUL 0-2 Mbarara City: Mbarara City Secure First Win of the Season
On Wednesday, October 2, Mbarara City earned their first victory of the 2024/25 league campaign with a convincing 2-0 win over BUL at Lugazi Stadium.
Seri Arigumaho’s brace highlighted the Ankole Lions’ performance, as they outplayed BUL, who now find themselves on a downward trajectory, having lost their last two matches.
Arigumaho’s goals also saw become the league’s joint top scorer with four goals.
Kitara 0-1 Police: Kitara’s Struggles Continue
Thursday’s action saw Kitara fall 1-0 to newly promoted Police FC at their Royal Park Stadium im Butema, extending their poor start to the season with a third consecutive loss.
Augustine Kacancu scored the only goal of the match in the 28th minute, helping Police secure their first win of the campaign after 3 opening draws.
The loss leaves Kitara in 12th place, just one point above the relegation zone.
Express 2-1 NEC: Express End NEC’s Unbeaten Start
Express FC returned to winning ways with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over NEC at Hamz Stadium on Thursday nighy.
First-half goals from Geofrey Gagganga and Ronald Mawa Andabati gave Express the lead, while NEC’s Cromwell Rwothomio scored in the second half to set up a tense finish.
However, NEC was unable to find an equalizer, ending their three-game unbeaten streak.
Mbale Heroes 0-4 URA: Ahimbisibwe’s Hat-trick Leads URA to Victory
Saturday’s matches saw URA thrash Mbale Heroes 4-0 at Mbale City Stadium, courtesy of a brilliant hat-trick from Ivan Ahimbisibwe.
Ahimbisibwe opened the scoring in the ninth minute and added two more before halftime, becoming the first player this season to score a hat-trick and tying for the league’s top scorer with four goals.
Amisi Bwangani’s strike in the second half sealed a comfortable victory for URA, lifting them to fifth place with seven points.
Vipers 2-1 SC Villa: Vipers Overcome Defending Champions
Vipers SC produced a stunning comeback to defeat reigning champions SC Villa 2-1 at St. Mary’s Stadium in Kitende.
After falling behind to an Elvis Kiwanuka goal in the 36th minute, Yunus Sentamu equalized just two minutes later, capitalizing on a defensive error by Villa.
The winning goal came early in the second half when Rogers Torach converted from a corner.
Villa’s second defeat of the season leaves them in eighth place, while Vipers, who played the game without head coach Nikola Kavazovic, who is serving a one-week suspension, climbed to third with seven points.
Maroons 1-0 Lugazi: Late Omirambe Strike Earns Maroons First Win
The final match of the week took place on Sunday, October 6, with Maroons edging Lugazi 1-0 at Luzira Prisons Grounds.
Brian Omirambe converted a late penalty to secure Maroons’ first win of the season, lifting them to 11th place.
Lugazi, still searching for their first win, sit at the bottom of the league table with just one point.
UPL Table After Match Day 4:
After four rounds of matches, KCCA lead the standings with ten points, followed by NEC with nine.
Vipers, UPDF, URA, Wakiso Giants, and Express each have seven points, occupying positions three through seven.
Defending champions SC Villa are in eighth place with six points. The bottom three consist of Bright Stars, BUL, and Lugazi, all in the relegation zone.
The race for the title is shaping up to be tightly contested, with several teams in close pursuit of leaders KCCA, while others will need to find form quickly to avoid slipping further into relegation danger.
