URA FC striker Ivan Ahimbisibwe has been called up to the Uganda Cranes squad preparing for the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN), scheduled to take place from February 1-28 in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania.
Ahimbisibwe’s inclusion comes as the Cranes face a crisis in the forwards department, with six attackers missing the first non-residential training session at Luzira Prisons Grounds.
The striker has been in exceptional form this season, scoring nine goals in 15 games for URA, placing him second on the Uganda Premier League top scorers’ chart, just two goals behind KCCA’s Allan Okello.
The absence of key forwards has been a setback for head coach Paul Put, who described the situation as challenging.
Forwards Denis Omedi and Hakim Kiwanuka are ineligible for CHAN after joining Rwanda’s APR FC, while Vipers SC striker Milton Karisa is sidelined with a quadriceps injury expected to keep him out for two months.
Sadat Anaku and Shafik Nana Kwikiriza missed training due to minor injuries, and Paul Mucureezi was unavailable as he featured for NEC in the Stanbic Uganda Cup.
Ahimbisibwe, along with KCCA midfielder Usama Arafat—who was added to the squad earlier this week—brings the total number of players in the non-residential camp to 38.
The squad will be trimmed to 26 players on Monday, January 13, before moving into a residential camp at Cranes Paradise Hotel in Kisaasi.
Preparations continue tomorrow with a session at MTN Omondi Stadium, Lugogo, as the Cranes aim to make their sixth CHAN appearance a historic one by advancing beyond the group stages for the first time.
