His goals, assists, and silky skills have come in handy as Kitara FC edges closer to their first major title in the Uganda top-flight football division. This is Paul Mucureezi, the former midfielder for Mutundwe Lions, KCCA FC, Mbarara City FC, and Vipers SC. As Kitara FC’s midfield maestro, Mucureezi has scored 10 vital goals (across all competitions) and provided numerous assists for the Masindi-based team this season.
Paul Mucureezi’s significant contributions have propelled Kitara FC from preseason underdogs to top contenders for the StarTimes Uganda Premier League title. The club is also in the finals of the Stanbic Uganda Cup, raising the possibility of achieving an unprecedented domestic league and cup double in their debut season of top-flight football.
Born 31 years ago in the rural Ntungamo district of western Uganda, Mucureezi’s football career took off at Mutundwe Lions in Kampala, after being discovered at a national secondary schools’ tournament in 2013. He played for the Lions in the lower division, where he scored eight goals in 16 games during the 2014–15 season.
A year later, Mucureezi’s talent caught the eye of the former national coach, Mike Mutebi, who recruited him to KCCA FC. During his tenure at the Lugogo-based club, Mucureezi enjoyed a rich vein of form, winning two league titles and earning his debut with the national team, The Cranes, in 2017.
During his tenure at KCCA, he scored 22 goals in 54 games for the club and four goals for The Cranes in nine matches. In the 2018–19 season, he made a surprising transfer to Mbarara City FC and netted 16 goals. “I badly wanted to play for a team from my region (western); so, Mbarara topped my list because it was the only team representing the region in the super division then,” he explains when asked about his move to Mbarara.
However, he returned to top-tier football by signing with Vipers SC in 2019. “I had a great time both on and off the pitch at Vipers,” he recalls of his three-year stint at the Kitende-based Vipers where he won the league, Uganda Cup, and also featured in the prestigious CAF Champions League consecutively.
He scored 18 goals in 37 games over three seasons, which is a respectable return for a midfielder whose appearances on the pitch were blighted by injuries.
Off the pitch, Mucureezi shares that his love life flourished when he married his wife, Esther, in a glamorous ceremony in 2020. At the beginning of 2023, Mucureezi left Vipers with the intention to retire. However, he reversed his decision two months later and joined Kitara FC in the FUFA Big League.
Mucureezi’s collaboration with teammates Denis Omedi, Living Kabon, and Jude Ssemugabi in attack transformed Kitara FC into a high-scoring team, leading them to win the division and secure promotion to the StarTimes Uganda Premier League. “Some people think we are at the top of the league by accident, but we are there because we are a good team,” Mucureezi asserts, reflecting on Kitara’s meteoric rise to becoming league title contenders this season.
Currently, Kitara FC holds the second position on the 16-team table with 48 points from 26 games, just one point behind the leaders, BUL FC. Defending champions Vipers are in third place with 46 points, followed by SC Villa in fourth with 45 points.
In what is shaping up to be one of the tightest title races in recent years, Mucureezi remains confident that Kitara could clinch the championship. Smiling broadly, he states, “This title is still ours to lose.” His confidence is bolstered by the fact that Kitara’s remaining two games—against Busoga United on May 11 and against Gaddafi FC on May 18—will be played at their home ground in Masindi.
