When Allan Okello walks into the dressing room at Young Africans SC, he won’t be just a reigning Uganda Premier League Golden Boot winner, but as a footballer reborn.
Behind that renaissance stands one man whose influence on the Ugandan’s career may never be fully captured by statistics, Vipers SC president Dr. Lawrence Mulindwa.
Just over two years ago, Okello’s future was hanging by a thread. His once-promising move to Algerian side Paradou AC had turned into a nightmare.
Injuries, uncertainty and neglect had stalled his progress, while his boyhood club KCCA FC, where he had dazzled as a teenager and later returned on loan, declined to meet his financial demands or take responsibility for his persistent knee problem.
Paradou, too, refused to cover his treatment. A career that had promised so much was drifting dangerously off course. That was when Dr. Mulindwa stepped in.
Upon learning of Okello’s availability at the start of the 2023/24 season, the Vipers boss moved decisively. He didn’t just offer a contract, he offered stability, belief and protection. Mulindwa personally took charge of Okello’s medical situation, committing to fully fund his knee treatment.
Financially, he went beyond what the player had even asked for at KCCA, offering a better sign-on fee and salary package. In a gesture that spoke volumes about his personal touch, Mulindwa also paid the school fees of Okello’s sister at St. Mary’s Secondary School, Kitende.
It was not a typical chairman-player relationship. It was a rescue mission. Okello was eased back into football with patience rather than pressure. He spent the first half of the 2023/24 season in recovery, only returning in the second round, where he contributed two league goals and six assists in 21 matches.
Even then, Mulindwa publicly praised him, a vote of confidence the player later acknowledged in interviews with The Pitchside Podcast and The Game of Life.
What followed in 2024/25 was nothing short of spectacular.
The following campaign (2024/25), a fully fit Okello exploded into life, racking up 19 league goals and four assists to fire Vipers to a seventh Uganda Premier League title and clinch the Golden Boot. He was equally influential in their Uganda Cup triumph as the Venoms completed a historic domestic double. The midfield magician had not only rediscovered his swagger, he had become the heartbeat of a championship-winning side.
His revival at club level reignited his international career too. Okello was recalled to the Uganda Cranes and quickly became a mainstay, scoring three goals and providing one assist in five CHAN matches. He added four assists in eight AFCON qualifiers and followed that up with three goals and four assists in six World Cup qualifiers. In just two and a half seasons at Vipers, he had transformed into one of Uganda’s most decisive players.
Mulindwa watched it all with a father’s pride. He often referred to Okello as “my son,” and the affection was mutual. And now, as the midfielder departs for Tanzanian giants Young Africans SC, Mulindwa has once again shown the class that defines his leadership.
He did not block the move. He did not demand the impossible. Instead, he allowed Okello to chase bigger dreams on a larger continental stage, joining one of Africa’s most storied clubs.
In a sport that so often chews up and discards its talents, Dr. Lawrence Mulindwa chose to rebuild one. Allan Okello’s move to Young Africans may mark the next chapter of his career, but the story of his rebirth will always carry the fingerprints of the man who refused to let him fall.
