Fred Muhumuza may be approaching a major career decision, one that echoes the situation the late Fred Kajoba faced at Vipers SC. The circumstances are strikingly similar, and the precedent is already set.
In 2021, Kajoba chose to leave his role as Vipers head coach so he could retain his position as Uganda Cranes goalkeeping coach.
Now Muhumuza finds himself in a comparable dilemma: remain at Vipers or take up the Cranes opportunity that has emerged.
What’s clear is that Dr. Lawrence Mulindwa will not stand in his way. However, if Muhumuza accepts the national team role, it would likely signal a pause, or even an end, to his current chapter at Vipers, at least for the time being.
The club has always demanded full commitment, and FUFA expects the same from members of the Cranes technical team. Kajoba’s case established that standard.
Muhumuza joined Vipers’ technical staff in April 2024 as an assistant coach. When Nikola Kovazovic was dismissed later that year, he and fellow assistant John Ayala stepped in and led the Venoms to a domestic double, the Uganda Premier League and the Uganda Cup.
Still, even that success did not stop Mulindwa from looking abroad once again for leadership, appointing Belgian coach Ivan Minnaert and returning both Muhumuza and Ayala to deputy roles.
The two assistants operate under unpublished contract terms at Vipers, and uncertainty around their future has always lingered, as is often the case at the club.
According to Kawowo Sports, Sam Ssimbwa is set to leave his role as Uganda Cranes assistant coach, pending official confirmation from FUFA.
NBS Sports journalist Brian Tuka further reinforced the report, stating that two names are under consideration as potential replacements: Muhumuza and Morley Byekwaso, with Muhumuza viewed as the favourite to deputize head coach Paul Joseph Put.
Both Muhumuza and Byekwaso worked under Put at the African Nations Championship (CHAN), co-coaching the Uganda team. Reports suggest the Belgian was particularly impressed by Muhumuza’s contribution during that assignment.
With AFCON in Morocco rapidly approaching this month, the Cranes’ technical team puzzle is expected to be completed sooner rather than later.
