Kawempe Muslim Ladies have been crowned champions of the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League CECAFA qualifiers after edging Kenya Police Bullets 1-0 in a tense final at Kigali Pele Stadium on Monday evening.
Agnes Nabukenya emerged as the heroine for the Ugandan champions, scoring in the 100th minute to settle a tightly contested encounter and secure Kawempe Muslim Ladies’ place on the continental stage.
The two sides had battled through 90 minutes without a goal, despite Kawempe Muslim Ladies creating several promising opportunities.
However, the Ugandans finally found the breakthrough in the 10th minute of first-half added time.
The towering forward reacted quickest inside the area and calmly finished from close range past Kenya Police Bullets goalkeeper Anndy Kundu.
The Kenyan side, who finished runners-up in the 2024 edition, pressed for an equaliser in the closing stages in an attempt to force the final into a penalty shoot-out.
Kawempe, however, held firm to preserve their slender advantage.
The final whistle sparked jubilant celebrations among the Ugandan contingent, capping an impressive campaign in which Kawempe Muslim Ladies won all four of their matches.
“I thank the players for the hard work and finally winning this trophy,” said head coach Ayub Khalifa Kiyingi after the triumph.
Captain Nabukenya, whose decisive strike delivered the title, also credited her teammates for their collective effort throughout the tournament.
Meanwhile, Commercial Bank of Ethiopia secured third place after thrashing South Sudan’s Yei Joint Stars FC 6-1 in the play-off.
Etsegenet Girma put CBE ahead after 34 minutes before Yei Joint Stars responded through Moureen Nankinga three minutes later.
Beshadu Tadese restored the Ethiopian side’s advantage before half-time.
CBE took complete control after the break, with Mahelet Bekel, Emush Dandamo, Mihiret Ayele and Rediet Matios all finding the net to complete a 6-1 victory.
