Vipers president pays tribute to the late Kirunda

Engineer Moses Magogo (L) and former Fufa President, Lawrence Mulindwa

Wednesday May 27, 2020. 13:00

Lawrence Mulindwa, the president of Ugandan club Vipers SC, has paid tribute to the late Jimmy Kirunda.

Kirunda, who captained Uganda to the final of the 1978 Africa Cup of Nations, passed away in Kampala on Monday at the age of 70.

The former defender also enjoyed a fine management career, including seven years at the helm of the Cranes from 1989 to 1996.

“It is with great shock I learnt of the untimely death of Uganda’s greatest footballer of all time, the late Kirunda which happened on May 25,” Mulindwa said in a statement, as quoted by Goal.

“His untimely death has not only robbed the country of a great football talent and icon but also a friend with whom we served Ugandan football during my two-year term tenure as a FUFA President. The deceased served as my personal assistant and later senior advisor during my time at the helm of Ugandan football.

“My personal experience with Jimmy is a testimony that he was not only gifted on the pitch but was an excellent football manager, administrator, and mentor to many.

“The story of Ugandan football cannot be written without the mention of Jimmy, who despite being a defender was exceptionally gifted at his eye for the goal [and whose] 32 goals tally in the 1978 top tier league was a feat that took the football world a decade to break.

“Jimmy was a leader on and off the pitch and his contribution to the three-time Uganda Cranes made it to the AFCON finals in the 1970s is a feat that is yet to be levelled.”