Kenya in easy Cecafa Challenge Cup pool
From left: CECAFA Secretary General Nicholas Musonye, FUFA vice Presidents Justus Mugisha and Darius Mugoye during the draw ceremony in Dar es Salaam on November 24, 2019. PHOTO | CECAFA |
What you need to know:
- Musonye revealed that Cecafa was the most active zone in Africa and this prompted Fifa to start investing in all the zones in 2017.
- The Fifa Forward Programme has enabled all the zones to benefit from $1 million yearly funding.
The Council of East and Central Africa Football Association (Cecafa) is set to complete the 2019 season on a high note when they stage the inaugural Under-17 Women Challenge Cup and their flagship Senior Challenge Cup in Uganda next month.
The draws for the two tournaments were conducted on Sunday in Dar es Salaam.
Kenya are in Group “C” of the Senior Challenge Cup together with Tanzania, Zanzibar and Djibouti. Guest side DR Congo are in Group “C” with Sudan, South Sudan and Somalia while Uganda head Group “A” that has Burundi, Ethiopia and Eritrea.
In his last days at the helm of Cecafa, the Secretary General Nicholas Musonye has enumerated what the council has done for the last couple of years insisting that despite the challenges, the council remains the most vibrant and active zone in Africa.
The veteran football administrator, who has served Cecafa for the past 20 years, thanked the President of Rwanda Paul Kagame for anchoring the regional body since 1999 and ensuring that Rwanda played a significant role in staging competitions.
"In 1999, we had the first Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup in Rwanda sponsored by Fifa. President Kagame, then Rwanda vice president regularly attended most of the matches. We approached him to become the patron and he accepted and since then he has ensured that we continue organising activities without fail," reveals Musonye.
On Monday, Cecafa's Women Challenge Cup concludes in Dar with Kenya playing hosts Tanzania in the final. Musonye said he was happy that all his dreams had been fulfilled — first launching the Under-15 in Eritrea in August, reviving the Under-20 Challenge Cup in Uganda in August, sustaining the women Senior Challenge Cup, increasing Kagame Cup to 16 teams and launching the Under-17 Challenge Cup next month.
All these milestones have been gained through hard-work and overcoming many challenges in a zone that is plagued by incessant politics.
Musonye revealed that Cecafa was the most active zone in Africa and this prompted Fifa to start investing in all the zones in 2017.
The Fifa Forward Programme has enabled all the zones to benefit from $1 million yearly funding.
