By Sophie Mutesi
Ivan Kakembo’s ambition to play the role of a football administrator is as old as his high school days at Kibuli SS.
In the corridors of the Schools’ soccer giants in Uganda – Kibuli – Kakembo was fondly referred to as manager – due to his love to organize the sport’s student players during internal and external competitions. The stance earned express favours, not only from the school’s sports department, but the Haj Abbas Kaawaase Mukasa led administration.
As Haj Kaawaase, whose name has a bearing onto hundreds of Uganda’s educated sport personalities, retired from active service in 2002, Kakembo, too bid farewell to Kibuli – having completed his A’ level education.
Kakembo pursued other academic programmes but never divorced his ‘football managerial career;’ and sooner than later several faces including Henry Kalungi, Stephen Nsereko, Mike Azira and many others were on the long list of players he assisted in acquiring sports scholarships in the US – and the rest is history.
As time clocked on, Kakembo ventured into youth soccer development and he would soon become an accomplished administrator – managing some of Uganda’s top clubs like SC. Villa and URA FC.
Kakembo is the founder of the Uganda Youth Soccer Academy -UYSA and co-director at DOSTIVA management – a firm registered in Uganda and dealing in promoting sports talents.
But the former Villa and URA Chief Executive Officer – CEO seemed unsatisfied. He applied and was selected as one of the four Africans to take up an inaugural Fifa Diploma programme in Club Management.
Kakembo is among only four Caf participants who were selected from a pool of over 400 top football administrators from different corners of the world.
Kakembo is set to become the first Ugandan to undertake the course, which started March 2021 and set to end January 2022 to boast his earlier administration and Management Course -FAMACO under Fufa.
“I intend to utilise the knowleadge acquired from this course, in transforming the several issues, which have on different occassions been a challege to our (Ugandan) clubs,” pledged Kakembo in a chat with this reporter.
