Remembering the immense potential of late Wilson Gayi

Wilson Gayi’s time at Kampala City Council (KCC FC) was defined by his versatility and creative flair.

When he joined the Lugogo-based side in 1997, his skilful displays quickly made him a fan favourite. Whether he was deployed as a winger attacking midfielder, or striker, he showcased his technical ability and eye for the killer pass.

The then 19-year-old was regarded as one of the hottest young prospects in the country’s game, and joining KCC was one of the best decisions he made at the time. Gayi’s performances during the 1997 season were particularly outstanding as KCC secured its first league title after a six-year drought, and the Yellows also went on to reach the semi-final of the Caf Cup, the highest level the club achieved at the time.

However, the youthful player did not last for long on the scene; he passed on aged just 22 years.

FORMATIVE YEARS

Gayi is remembered by most of the players and the clubs he played for. He hailed from Kawempe, where he featured for Happy Boys FC, one of the teams which used to play in the Kawempe Youth Football Association (KAY-OFA), which had other clubs such as Everton, Equatorial, Telstar and Kazo.

Happy Boys had prospects like Willy Kyambadde, Sula Lusonda and Yusuf Seru maga, among others. It was in this league where Gayi also played against the likes of Ibrahim Sekagya, Mujib Kasule, Abubaker Tabula, Gibby Kalule and Baker Mbowa, among others.

His talent saw him secure free bursaries in schools like Jinja Kaloli P/S., Kololo High School, and Naggalama Islamic SS. While at Naggalama, State House FC coach Steven Mulinde picked the 17-year-old and drafted him into the senior team, where he became a permanent feature.

He quickly fitted in with the team, which had the likes of Godfrey Mbogo, Herbert ‘Masanda’ Nsubuga, Sekagya, Godfrey ‘Kabeza’ Mugisha and Charles Kayemba.

JOINING KCCA

His move to join KCCA in 1997 was seen as a wrong decision simply because the club probably had the country’s top attackers such as Haruna Mawa, Jackson Mayanja, Abdallah Mubiru, Baker Mbowa and Morley Byekwaso.

To understand the magnitude of the challenge Gayi faced, he was signed along with other top players like Godfrey Mugisha, Mugisha ‘Kabeza’, Mohammad Byansi, Sekagya and Augustine Barigye, who had already proven themselves elsewhere.

However, this did not bother Gayi, who had the backing of head coach Mike Mutebi, who admired the youngster at State House.

“We did our homework before we zeroed in on him; he is a good player and is going to fit in the team,” said Mutebi at the time when he was asked about his new signing.

Gayi did not let down his boss. He fitted in the team well, playing different roles. He could play as an attacking midfielder (No. 8) and sometimes he could be switched to right wing; and other times he played as a striker (No. 10).

Upon his arrival at KCCA, Gayi wanted Shirt No. 8, but at that time it belonged to Mayanja. He later settled for Shirt No. 14, which was donned by legendary Moses Nsereko. What made Gayi special was his superb pace.

I recently spoke to Godfrey Mugisha, who played with Gayi KCCA. He told me Gayi was a complete player.

“He made some of us look good, especially with his intelligence with the ball, combined with guile and flair with precision passing,” he said.

Meanwhile, Kasule recalls Gayi’s talent as special.

“He was very close to me at KCCA; up to now, we regularly hold a debate over who was better between Willy Kyambadde and Gayi. I, for one, think Gayi was better. Both were dribblers and good passers of the ball, but Gayi beat Kyambadde in speed and work rate,” he says.

At KCCA, Gayi was not only a prolific creative player, but he scored some special goals; like the one against Umeme, plus a brace against Scoul in KCCA’s 2-1 win. What’s more, he created numerous assists to players around him.

It was at that time when Mayanja, Mugisha, Byansi, Haruna Mawa and Mubiru were unplayable, defeating SC Villa, Express and Umeme before running away with the 1997 league title.

SHORT-LIVED GLORY

In 1998, Gayi became a starter in Leo Adraa’s U-23 team that competed in the All Africa Games qualifiers and was part of the team at the 2000 Olympic Games qualifiers. However, his performance on the field started to wane towards the end of 1998.

In early 1999, his health greatly deteriorated, and he was advised to take time off football. He was later diagnosed with HIV/Aids. Gayi never returned to the game and died January 20, 2000. He was laid to rest at Sumbwe, a few miles along Mityana road. Talk of players who never realised their potential!