Kawempe Muslim have become the first Ugandan club to qualify for the CAF Women’s Champions League finals after defeating Kenya Police Bullets 1-0 after extra time in Monday’s CECAFA qualifier final at Kigali Pele Stadium.
Agnes Nabukenya scored the decisive goal in extra time to secure Kawempe’s first CECAFA title and end Uganda’s long wait for representation at the continental finals.
The victory completed an impressive campaign for the Ugandan champions, who won every match they played in Rwanda and did so without conceding a goal before the final.
Kawempe began by beating 2024 CECAFA champions Commercial Bank of Ethiopia 1-0 in the group stage through an 11th-minute Nabukenya goal, before thrashing FC Ujeco of Djibouti 8-0.
They then produced one of the tournament’s standout performances by eliminating CBE again, this time 3-0 in the semifinal.
That semifinal victory was particularly significant because CBE had won the regional qualifiers two years earlier and entered the competition among the strongest sides in the CECAFA zone.
Kawempe’s reward is a place at the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League finals, where they will represent both Uganda and the CECAFA region against Africa’s leading women’s clubs. CAF is yet to announce the host of this year’s finals.
For Kawempe, qualification represents another major step for a club whose influence on Ugandan women’s football stretches well beyond trophies.
The Valley Warriors have consistently developed players who have progressed into Uganda’s national teams and professional football, while remaining one of the strongest sides in the FUFA Women’s Super League.
They reclaimed the domestic title last season after finishing with 52 points, one ahead of She Corporate, to earn another opportunity at the regional qualifiers.
Their success in Kigali now gives that development model a continental platform.
For Ugandan women’s football, the achievement is equally significant. Since the CAF Women’s Champions League was introduced in 2021, Uganda’s representatives had repeatedly fallen short in the CECAFA qualifiers while clubs from Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia took the regional ticket.
CECAFA’s previous representatives at the finals were Vihiga Queens of Kenya in 2021, Simba Queens of Tanzania in 2022, JKT Queens in 2023, CBE in 2024 and JKT Queens again in 2025.
Beyond the historic label, qualification offers Ugandan players greater exposure to continental opposition, scouts and professional opportunities, while also giving the domestic women’s game an important benchmark against Africa’s best clubs.
It could also strengthen the argument for increased investment in women’s football at club level. Kawempe’s success shows that Ugandan teams can compete beyond the domestic game when player development, continuity and competitive structures are maintained.
For a club that returned to the regional stage after reclaiming the Ugandan championship, Monday’s victory was more than another trophy.
Kawempe Muslim have finally taken Ugandan women’s club football where it had never been before.