In Summary
The name Andrew ‘Fimbo’ Mukasa rings bells in Ugandan football fans’ ears. His finesse in front of goal made him a darling for fans across the footballing divide. However, today, Mukasa lives a miserable life after a chronicle mental illness halted his career
How many players can score 45 league goals in a season? Few. Andrew ‘Fimbo’ Mukasa is the only Ugandan to have achieved that feat. Footballers, coaches and fans alike, rate him highly, some arguing that he is the best Ugandan striker, ever. However, Mukasa’s career fell from sublime to ridiculous when a mental illness struck him hard. Today, he lives in desperation, a pale shadow of his former imposing self which had become every opposing defender’s nightmare.
Rise of a gem
No one can explain this better than Simon Kirumira, the coach that groomed Mukasa. Kirumira says there has always been something unique about Mukasa.
“I first saw him in 1990 around Martin Road [Kampala]. He was about 11 years. He had a group of friends he used to play with. Whereas others had shoes, Mukasa always played barefooted. They were playing Kaayi (playing football with a ball made of banana fibre). He was the tiniest of all but the most talented,” Kirumira recalls.
In 1994, Mukasa joined Baggery FC, a second division side, and his goals eased the club’s promotion to the First Division. “I kept monitoring him and in 1995, I convinced him to start training with Puma, the club I was coaching.
“At that age, he couldn’t play for Puma. But I wanted him closer because I had seen his potential. After joining us, Mukasa got very serious with his football. While we could report for training at 5pm, Mukasa would be there at 3pm playing with his friends,” Kirumira recounts.
During Puma’s training sessions, one trait became characteristic of Mukasa’s career: his dislike for physicals. Instead, he used to ask for the ball to juggle around while the rest struggled with the physicals. Kirumira says he used to exempt Mukasa because he was young, short and skinny.
In mid-1995, Puma offered Mukasa a licence. But still, he was only a trainee. He later started to play, but sparingly. He also got his first pair of boots. A few months on, he started playing regularly and scored a few goals for Puma.
From boy to man
However, Kirumira says, Mukasa’s big break came in late 1995 where he grew into a “man”. “That year, we were all astonished by how Mukasa’s body started to change. He suddenly grew taller. He also got some muscle and his shoe size shot up from six to nine. His game took the same stride. That season, he scored 18 goals.”.
In 1996, he ended the season with 36 goals which earned him the nickname ‘Fimbo’ (canning rod), a derivative from the way he tore defences for goal. KCC FC came calling and soon, Mukasa started training with them.
“Mutebi [Mike] wanted to sign him. He requested us to let him train with them. He would train with KCC but play for us,” Kirumira remembers.
That season, Mukasa’s stock skyrocketed. He was selected for the national U-18 team that played in the 1998 Coca-Cola East and Central African Junior Championships in Ethiopia. It was unusual for a player in the lower league to don national colours.
“Paul Ssali was the coach. I told him about Mukasa and he asked me to take him to the team’s training at Lugogo. On reaching there, everyone, including the players, started laughing at him, calling him a ball boy.
“Three days into training, Ssali was impressed. He told me he was going to drop some ‘senior’ players to accommodate Mukasa,” Kirumira adds. Eventually, Baker Mbowa and Livingstone Mbabazi, both playing in the top-tier, were dropped.
Mukasa was the striker Ssali had always longed for. “He had everything; first touch, vision and above all, an eye for goal. He had a big foot, which is an advantage in shooting.”
Mukasa did not disappoint, becoming Uganda’s best player at the tournament, scoring three goals as Uganda reached the finals.
KCC’s loss, Villa’s gain
When KCC delayed to snap up the red-hot striker, SC Villa pounced. During the 1997 season, Puma faced Kiwi FC in their last match of the season at Nakivubo, where Mukasa scored three goals in the 5-1 victory.
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