Amus College’s success in Kigali has added another US$150,000 (Shs566.2m) to the remarkable financial return Ugandan schools have generated from CAF schools football.
A CK Sports tally of published CAF, CECAFA and FUFA results shows Ugandan representatives have now earned US$1.375 million (Shs5.19bn) since 2023.
The latest contribution followed Amus College’s double podium finish at the CAF African Schools Football Championship CECAFA Qualifiers in Kigali, Rwanda.
Amus defeated hosts Rwanda 1-0 in Saturday’s boys’ final, securing the regional championship and Uganda’s place at the continental finals.
Kennedy Okwi scored the decisive goal after 39 minutes, completing an unbeaten campaign featuring four victories and one draw across five matches.
Their boys had defeated South Sudan and Burundi before drawing against Somalia, then overcame Tanzania 3-1 during the semifinals.
The Amus girls also finished third after defeating Rwanda 2-0, earning another US$50,000 (Shs188.7m) and taking the school’s Kigali return to US$150,000 (Shs566.2m).
That money is not intended as cash bonuses for players, despite commonly being described as prize money after competitions.
CAF regulations require the funds to finance development projects covering education, sporting infrastructure and other approved improvements within the benefiting schools.
The Motsepe Foundation-backed programme awards US$100,000 (Shs377.5m) to zonal winners, US$75,000 (Shs283.1m) to runners-up and US$50,000 (Shs188.7m) to third-placed teams.
At continental level, champions receive US$300,000 (Shs1.13bn), runners-up collect US$200,000 (Shs755m), while third-placed schools receive US$150,000 (Shs566.2m) for approved development projects.
Amus therefore have another major financial opportunity after the boys secured Uganda’s ticket to the next CAF African Schools Football Championship continental finals.
Uganda has already demonstrated how significant that stage can become after St Mary’s Kitende reached the continental boys’ final earlier this year.
Kitende lost the Harare final against Senegal 5-4 on penalties after a goalless contest, collecting US$200,000 (Shs755m) as continental runners-up.
The country’s journey towards such returns began with Royal Giant High School during the competition’s inaugural CECAFA qualifying campaign in 2023.
Royal Giant defeated Ethiopia’s Geda Roble Secondary School on penalties to win the boys’ regional championship and collect US$100,000 (Shs377.5m).
Amus College were already part of that first Ugandan success story, with their girls finishing third and receiving another US$50,000 (Shs188.7m).
CAF later reported that Royal Giant used its development funding to acquire a school bus, demonstrating the programme’s intended impact beyond football.
Uganda then enjoyed an even stronger CECAFA campaign in Nairobi during December 2023, winning both boys’ and girls’ regional championships.
St Mary’s Kitende represented Uganda’s boys, while Kawempe Muslim represented the girls, with each regional championship carrying US$100,000 (Shs377.5m).
Kawempe subsequently added US$150,000 (Shs566.2m) after finishing third at the 2024 continental finals in Zanzibar, becoming Uganda’s first continental schools medalists.
The next CECAFA qualifiers, staged at Kitende in December 2024, delivered another significant return for Ugandan schools.
St Noa Girls School won the girls’ regional championship and US$100,000 (Shs377.5m), while St Mary’s Kitende finished second among the boys.
Kitende’s second-place finish attracted US$75,000 (Shs283.1m), taking Uganda’s combined return from that regional competition to US$175,000 (Shs660.6m).
St Noa then turned that regional success into a remarkable continental campaign during the 2025 finals staged in Accra, Ghana.
The Zzana school reached the girls’ final before losing 2-0 against hosts Ghana, earning US$200,000 (Shs755m) for finishing second overall.
Uganda added another US$150,000 (Shs566.2m) during the December 2025 CECAFA qualifiers, winning boys’ gold while taking bronze in the girls’ competition.
The boys received US$100,000 (Shs377.5m) after defeating Ethiopia on penalties, while Uganda’s third-placed girls collected another US$50,000 (Shs188.7m).
Kitende then added the US$200,000 (Shs755m) continental runners-up prize in Zimbabwe this April before Amus delivered another US$150,000 (Shs566.2m) in Kigali.
Those results bring the cumulative published prize allocation to Ugandan representatives to approximately US$1.375 million (Shs5.19bn) across zonal and continental competitions.
Amus also dominated the individual honours in Kigali, strengthening the significance of their championship beyond qualification and financial reward.
Mawanda Vincent Kiza was named Most Valuable Player, Kennedy Okwi finished as Top Scorer and Mukasa Stuart Junior claimed Best Goalkeeper.
For Amus, however, the biggest opportunity still lies ahead because the boys now have another chance to challenge Africa’s leading schools.
Victory at the continental finals would deliver Uganda its first boys’ CAF African Schools title and another US$300,000 (Shs1.13bn) development award.
After Kitende came within one penalty of achieving that target in Zimbabwe, Amus will travel knowing Uganda is increasingly competing among Africa’s best.