Ugandan player Zama to join KPA for Africa club tourney

Jamila Zama (left on front row) celebrates with her JKL Dolphins teammates after winning the Uganda league title. PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Zama could be KPA's secret weapon in Maputo as the team seeks a podium finish at the continental event
  • Apart from Zama who is still fresh from participating in 3-on-3 basketball tournament for her country in Togo, KPA have in their roaster diminutive Burundian point guard Cynthia Irankunda who has been at the championship four times with United States International University - Africa Flames
  • KPA team manager Christopher Ogutu believes it will not be business as usual in Maputo

Jamila Zama, one of Kenya Ports Authority's imports for the Fiba Women Africa Club Championships set for Mozambique from Friday, arrives in Nairobi Tuesday morning from Togo to link up with the squad ahead of the their departure for Maputo.

She is undoubtedly Uganda's most valuable player at the moment, having helped JKL Dolphins to their first Uganda league title, Zama could be KPA's secret weapon in Maputo as the team seeks a podium finish at the continental event.

East African teams have never won the Africa club championships since its inception, with Kenya's Eagle Wings coming closest when the championships was held in Morocco in 2013.

Then came the fifth place finish by KPA at last year's games in Angola, the best performance ever by the team at the championship.

Whether Equity Bank and KPA will break the jinx of losing to the West and North African countries at this year’s championships remains the big question.

Apart from Zama who is still fresh from participating in 3-on-3 basketball tournament for her country in Togo, KPA have in their roaster diminutive Burundian point guard Cynthia Irankunda who has been at the championship four times with United States International University - Africa Flames, the last time being in 2016 edition in Maputo where the Kenyan students failed to impress.

Taudencia Katumbi, who graduated from USIU in May, links up with her former USIU schoolmate Christine Akinyi who has greatly improved since joining a University in Uganda a year ago.

And KPA team manager Christopher Ogutu believes it will not be business as usual in Maputo.

"For a long time, we were fooled to think that these foreign clubs rely on home-grown players to win matches, only to realise that of the 12 players on their roasters at a time, none of the players is based in their local leagues," he said.

Apart from local rivals Equity Bank whom KPA swept 3-0 to win last year's league title, Ogutu believes Mozambican clubs Desportivo de Maputo and Ferroviaro should be KPA toughest opponents in Mozambique.

Equity turned tables on KPA at the Zone V championships in Dar es Salaam where they emerged victors.