Standfirst: A right-winger with a kit bag and a comic’s timing, “Musanvu w’eggwanga” turned street corners into stadiums and crosses into conversation. His death closes a chapter on Uganda’s most extrovert winger, and reopens an African debate about how the game treats its heroes when the floodlights fade.
He arrived like a chant on a dusty afternoon, “Obadiah waata!”, and answered as surely as a drumbeat: “Nkayiiya.” A winger who carried his boots everywhere, he would hop into any kick-about as if it were Cup final day. With Coffee SC, KCCA FC, and the Uganda Cranes, Obadiah Ssemakula laced crosses with equal parts accuracy and mischief, playing as he spoke, direct, daring, defiant.
The Street Genius with a Kit Bag
Raised on Kampala’s asphalt and humour, Ssemakula became folklore with Coffee SC before joining KCCA. His crosses were sharp as a barber’s line, his feints as sly as a wink. When strikers fluffed tap-ins, he was master of the monologue:
“Eyo nakavadda ekulema etya okunyweesa, nkuwe nga ngusibyeeko luwuzi?!”
He vowed not to retire until he set foot on Namboole’s grass. Like a pilgrim checking scaffolding, he toured its construction. In 1998, as a Kasasiro lad, he fulfilled the promise.
A Winger, a Wordsmith, a Way of Playing
Obadiah’s delivery was never late. He arced balls like crescent moons, skimmed them like whispers through grass. Teammates remember his catchphrases; opponents his first touch; fans his laughter.
“Nkuwadde akabuzibuzi… nenkuletera akabaata… kati ndeete akatetete?”
It was part comedy, part coaching, always nudging strikers toward destiny.
After the Whistle: A Hard Road Home
Retirement was cruel. Illness, the toll of years, and a violent robbery left him battling on ground he could not dribble past. Friends say he died in hardship, the warmest character in the room outlived by the cold arithmetic of bills and hospital corridors.
Across Africa: Different Names, Same Sorrow
This is not just a Ugandan hurt, it is African football looking in a mirror.
Peter Rufai (Nigeria), AFCON-winning goalkeeper, died in 2025 amid national debate over how legends are honoured.
Stephen Keshi (Nigeria), AFCON-winning captain and coach, died in 2016 after years contesting unpaid salaries.
Rashidi Yekini (Nigeria), record scorer, died in 2012 after mental-health struggles and financial hardship.
These stories rhyme, not because the players did, but because the systems didn’t.
The Money Question: What Breaks?
Short careers, late wages, patchy insurance, scarce pensions, limited financial literacy, little mental-health care. FIFPRO Africa has long warned of this vacuum. FUFA’s new medical insurance for current players is progress, but ex-internationals remain unprotected.
Ghana’s standardised player contracts show how Africa’s leagues can evolve. The need is continental, urgent.
A Nine-Point Playbook
- Ex-Internationals Pension & Health Fund , ring-fenced, funded by broadcast revenue and government.
- Mandatory Provident Savings , fixed contributions during careers, portable and protected.
- Standard Player Contracts & Wage-Guarantee Scheme , enforceable across CAF/FAs.
- Federation Duty-of-Care , screenings, bursaries, career-transition support.
- Portable Insurance , covering injury, disability, life.
- Mental-Health Access , embedded during and after careers.
- Transparent Legacy Grants , automatic for capped internationals.
- Enforce, Don’t Announce , strict penalties for defaulters.
- Honor While They’re Here , paid ambassadorial and legacy roles.
A Ugandan Legacy, a Continental Call
Obadiah Ssemakula was football as folklore, a joker with precision, a crosser who bent language as he bent the ball. His death challenges Africa to ensure no legend needs a fundraiser to see a doctor.
The Last Cross
Picture him, kit bag slung, grin under the sun, stepping onto an ordinary patch of grass and making it feel like Wembley. He shapes his body, leans into the wind, and sends one final delivery arcing toward us.
This time, we must finish it. May the soul of Musanvu w’eggwanga rest in peace; may his story move us from elegy to action
