Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: Crested Cranes Head Coach, Sheryl Botes, has named Zainah Namuleme and Zainah Nandede as captains of Uganda’s national women’s football team, ahead of the 2025 CECAFA Senior Women’s Championship, which kicks off today, Friday, June 13, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Namuleme, a seasoned midfielder from Makerere University Women FC, assumes the captaincy with prior experience from three CECAFA editions, 2016, 2018, and 2019, making her a reliable figure to lead Uganda’s title defense.
She will be deputized by Zainah Nandede, the current Female Player of the Year and standout winger from Kampala Queens FC, the reigning Women Super League champions.
Uganda opens its campaign against Burundi at 4:00 PM EAT at the Azam Complex in Chamazi. The match had initially been scheduled for Thursday but was rescheduled to allow additional time for team arrivals.
CECAFA Competitions Director Yusuf Mossi confirmed that the changes were made to accommodate South Sudan, who arrived on Wednesday, and Kenya, who landed later that evening.
The competition, which will run from June 13 to 21, includes five nations, hosts Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Burundi, and South Sudan, battling it out in a round-robin format.
Uganda heads into the tournament as defending champions, having clinched the title in the 2022 edition. The new leadership duo of Namuleme and Nandede now shoulders the responsibility of guiding the Crested Cranes to consecutive regional glory.
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