KIGALI, July 26– Uganda’s Premier League champion Vipers SC beat Garde Republicaine FC of Djibouti 3-0 in the opening Group A match as the 2026 Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) Kagame Cup kicked off on Friday at the Amahoro Stadium in Rwanda’s capital Kigali.
Farouk Miya, a former Uganda international, netted a brace for Vipers in the first 38 minutes, while Abdu Karim Watambala added the third before break. “It is a good start with a win in the tournament,” Vipers SC coach Denis Jean Lavagne said. Kenyan champion Gor Mahia FC defeated Rwanda’s APR FC 5-0 in the second Group A match of the day. The regional tournament features 12 teams from nine countries and regions. The final will be held on August 7. CECAFA president Paulos Weldehaimanot Andemariam said he was happy with Rwanda’s preparations and revealed that Rwanda had shown interest in hosting the next three editions of the tournament. “We are confident that this is going to be the best CECAFA Kagame Cup,” he said. Andemariam added that CECAFA is working hard to grow the tournament so that it can attract more sponsors and teams. The champion of the Kagame Cup will pocket 30,000 U.S. dollars, the runner-up 20,000 U.S. dollars while the third placed team 10,000 U.S. dollars. Rwandan President Paul Kagame has contributed the prize money towards the tournament since 2002.
XinhuaÂ
