Uganda Cranes’ preparations for the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) have begun with a significant blow as six forwards missed the opening non-residential training session at Luzira Prisons Grounds, which featured 23 players.
Among the forwards missing are Denis Omedi and Hakim Kiwanuka, who recently signed for Rwanda’s APR FC, and are now ineligible for CHAN, which is exclusively for players competing in their domestic leagues.
Vipers SC forward Milton Karisa missed, having been sidelined with a quadriceps muscle tear sustained during his team’s 1-0 league win on Monday.
Vipers confirmed Karisa will be out for two months, ruling him out of the tournament.
Sadat Anaku and Shafik Nana Kwikiriza also missed the session due to minor injuries, while Paul Mucureezi was unavailable as he featured for his club NEC, in the Stanbic Uganda Cup.
Besides Mucureezi, other players missed the training session as they were also set to feature for their clubs in the Uganda Cup.
These include NEC players Hannington Ssebwalunyo, Ibrahim Thembo, Enock Ssebaggala, and Gideon Odong.
Additionally, five Vipers players — defenders Rogers Torach, Hillary Mukundane, Patrick Mbowa, and Derrick Ndahiro, along with midfielder Allan Okello — were absent.
While Vipers rested Okello as a precautionary measure, the other players were tied up in Uganda Cup commitments.
Uganda Cranes head coach Paul Put acknowledged the challenge of missing key players at a critical stage of preparations.
“We have many players unavailable,” he admitted. “Those who are with their clubs will need time to recover when they return. We must come up with solutions to handle this.”
The coach faces a decision on whether to summon replacements.
Forwards Ivan Ahimbisibwe (URA), Samuel Ssenyonjo (Express), and James Jarieko (NEC), who featured in Uganda’s ceremonial CHAN qualifiers against Burundi in December, were notably absent from the provisional squad announced earlier.
Yesterday, KCCA midfielder Usama Arafat was added to the squad after missing out on Wednesday’s call-up.
The team will continue non-residential training sessions until Sunday, January 12 with, tomorrow’s session set to be held at the MTN Omondi Stadium in Lugogo.
The squad will then be trimmed to 26 players before moving into a residential camp at Cranes Paradise Hotel in Kisaasi on Monday, January 13.
Uganda is aiming to make its sixth consecutive CHAN appearance a memorable one by advancing beyond the group stages for the first time.
The tournament which will be co-hosted by Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania, is set to run from February 1-28.
