FUFA beach soccer league action returned over the weekend, and delivered thrilling matches and impressive individual displays at the Bamboo gardens beach soccer arena – Kasanje, on Sunday.
Joseph Ssendi scored six goals as Buganda Royal eased to three points, while defending champions Kampala City survived minnows Grace Church by just a whisker.
Mengo Hill regained a winning feeling on their second appearance of the day, against Muteesa 1 Royal University, as MUBS came second best against Mutoola.
Buganda Royal 6-1 Mengo Hill
Buganda Royal had been underperforming before Sunday’s game, with their offensive line relatively blunt and their defence one of the leakiest in the division.
For this game, they were unflagging in the attack as if their lives depended on it. Their attitude and energy were top-notch, and they went for the kill early – scoring in every period with Joseph Ssendi the architect in chief of the onslaught as they grabbed their second win of the season. He scored all the six goals to take his goal count to eight.
Even though Christopher Ntumwa managed to pull one back for Mengo Hill, they couldn’t find their way back into the game, as Buganda Royal maintained control of it all the time.
Grace Church 3-4 Kampala City
Kampala City is one of the biggest forces in Uganda’s beach soccer apparently. By large, Grace Church is inferior to them given the gulf in quality and squad depth between the two sides. However, the game on Sunday didn’t do any justice to the gulf we are talking about.
Kampala City came into this encounter with a depleted squad, presenting only four players (Rogers Omedwa – goalkeeper, Hassan Luboyera – defender, and forwards – Paul Kato and Ambrose Kigozi) for the game, which gave Grace Church a mirage of hope.
The church boys capitalized on their numerical advantage to draw the first blood through Jeremiah Kibirige, with Kalungi Hamza doubling their lead in the second period.
At this moment, the defending champions were looking jaded, and clueless, while their coaches Ivan Kulika and Geoffrey Akabwai wore a bewildered look on their faces. Their team manager Tonny Ssebaggala was also seen confused with his head in his hands.
They however regrouped and came back a changed side in the last 12 minutes. They began to play with precision, with Hassan Luboyera pulling one back for his side. Ambrose Kigozi then scored twice to give Kampala City the lead for the first time in the game, with five minutes left on the clock.
Grace Church buoyantly responded through Hamza Kalungi who locked the game at 3-3 to stir excitement around the Bamboo gardens, at least for the neutrals, as they looked like they could push for a winner or hang on for their first point of the campaign. However, they were undone by a late Jonathan Mwanawangu own goal that gifted Kampala City the precious win, and a place at the top of the table.
Mutoola 2(5)-2(4) MUBS
As the odds suggested, the game proved to be closely contested between the two. While both sides made several attempts to win the match, the contest remained tight and tied even after extra time. But Mutoola edged it in the penalty shootout 5-4 to walk home with a point. Paul Nsenge and Simon Peter Kijjo scored for Mutoola, while Malik Bingana and Stuart Magumba netted for MUBS in regulation time.
Mengo Hill 4-2 Muteesa 1 Royal University
In the last game on the day, Mengo Hill subdued Muteesa 1 Royal University with a 4-2 beating. Mark Jordan Ssekyanzi scored a hat-trick, while Salim Mugerwa also registered on the score sheet for Mengo. Isham Kibirige, and Rajab Aidid found the consolations for the University side.
Looking Ahead.
Match day six of the FUFA Beach Soccer League will be played on Sunday, February 15, 2026 at Bunjako beach in Buwama.
Kampala City will take on Muteesa 1 Royal University, MUBS will play St Lawrence University, while Grace Church will face Mutoola BSC.
Current table standings:
1 Kampala City – 12 points
2 MUBS – 10 points
3 Mutoola – 8 points
4 St. Lawrence – 6 points
5 Buganda Royal – 6 points
6 Mengo Hill – 6 points
7 Muteesa – 3 points
8 Grace Church – 0 points
Leading goal scorers:
1 Ambrose Kigozi (Kampala City) – 10 goals
2 Joseph Ssendi (Buganda Royal) – 8 goals
3 Oscar Ssendege (Mutoola) – 4 goals.