Frank Kyazze: The goal-scoring machine with boundless talent
Last week, I bumped into Frank Nkojo Kyazze at Zzana trading centre.
The former football star, who hung up his boots in 1988, is the Resident District Commissioner (RDC) for Obongi district in West Nile. Kyazze, who is in his early 60s, looks healthy but has lost his trade- mark Afro hairstyle that made him stand out. Nonetheless, his infectious smile has never deserted him.
He has also put on some weight. We had a short but nostalgic chat. He may not be easily recognised today but back in the eighties, if it was goals you wanted, Kyazze was your man. He is a two-time top-flight league top-scorer and helped KCCA FC to four major pieces of silverware.
At his peak, he was one of the most unbeatable strikers in Ugandan football history. Kyazze stood as a beacon of talent during a transformative era for the sport. Possessing a unique blend of aerial prowess and technical finesse, his skillset was nothing short of complete.
STELLAR CAREER
Kyazze started his football journey with Lubaga Boys (now Lubaga Martyrs), the school that produced many top prospects. However, when he moved to Kampala High School, his talent was spotted by second-tier league side Uganda Transport Company (UTC). In 1980, Coffee FC’s coach, Charles Omiji, courted him and made him the club’s main striker.
Kyazze impressed at Coffee by netting a lot of goals. In a match against Express FC, he scored a brace in a 5-1 win. Among the spectators at that match was SC Villa boss Patrick Kawooya, who immediately made Kyazze one of his transfer targets for the 1981 season.
When Kyazze eventually moved to Villa Park, he was unceremoniously overlooked for two years, appearing in only two league matches. He vowed to leave.
SWAPPING SC VILLA WITH KCC
In 1983, the then 22-year-old striker left SC Villa and joined KCCA. Besides getting more playing time, KCCA’s training ground at Lugogo was close to Nakawa College of Commerce (now MUBS), where he was pursuing a diploma in accounting.
At the time, KCCA boasted of several attack-minded players such as Phillip Omondi, Sam Mugambe, Moses Nsereko, Peter Mazinga and Godfrey Kateregga. All were national team starters but that did not scare Kyazze, whose special talent helped him fit in well.
Supporters were always excited at his presence and Kyazze always looked supremely sharp and incredibly quick, and his aerial dominance was next to none, as he scored goals in different styles. His first goals for KCCA came in his second match against Nytil, where he grabbed a brace. He then scored a powerful header against Coffee in the next match.
At the time, Kyazze had cemented his place in the highly-competitive KCCA first team. On the continent, he scored a goal against Arab Contractors in Cairo. That goal was one of his most memorable because it was from an acute angle when the stakes were so high against the Lugogo-based side.
In fact, that goal won him a lot of praise from the club administration. Needless to say, the KCCA defence bottled the second leg to bow out in a very painful way. On a positive note, he scored nine goals in the 1983 season, helping KCC to recapture the league title. In 1984, Kyazze had become unplayable, emerging as the league’s top scorer with a goal tally of 18.
On the flip side, KCCA failed to defend the league title. However, the club successfully captured the 1984 Uganda Cup title, edging Coffee 3-2 in a thriller at Bugembe stadium, courtesy of Omondi, Kyazze and Kateregga goals. Kyazze transferred his club form to the Uganda Cranes, scoring two goals in the 1984 Cecafa Cup held in Uganda and also featuring in all continental qualifiers.
LIVE WIRE
By 1985, Kyazze had established himself as the KCCA talisman, a deadball expert and first-choice penalty taker. He was banging goals with ease and also made several assists for teammates, especially to his twin striker, Joseph Sekitto.
That very season, Kyazze equalled Jimmy Kirunda’s seven-year league goal record of 32 league goals. Unfortunately for him, but the National Football League Committee (NFLC) deducted his four goals scored against Millers FC following the latter’s dismissal from the league before the end of the season.
Even with the deduction, he still emerged top scorer with 28 goals, guiding KCCA to the league title. Off the pitch, Kyazze had a pleasing appearance, especially for the ladies and was also elegant in his lifestyle. He popularised Shirt No. 9 at KCCA, which was ‘jinxed’ before his arrival at the club.
He was an affable character amongst fans and sports journalists, who nicknamed him Kaweewo (antelope) in reference to his fast pace. Some fans dubbed him Livewire. Just when Kyazze approaching was his prime in 1986, he suffered a devastating knee injury which sidelined him for the entire season.
He returned in March, 1987 and scored a respectable 12 goals for KCCA but the club could only finish third in the league. As a consolation, the club defeated SC Villa to win the Uganda Cup, thanks in no small measure to Kyazze’s powerful header. In 1988, Kyazze was just 27 years old, but the recurring knee injury was troubling him.
He spent more times on the sidelines and as weeks turned into months, he shocked the nation when he announced his retirement from the game. At the time, he had completed his bachelor of Commerce degree at Makerere University, and he had secured a job in KCCA’s finance department.
He was later appointed team manager of KCCA in 1995. For some reason he has yet to convince me, Kyazze went off the football radar and resurfaced in politics. He still lives a down-to-earth lifestyle but to many football enthusiasts who saw him at his peak, many questions remain about how good he would have been had it not been for the injuries and early retirement from the game
