Stanbic Uganda Cup’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) Gadafi Wahab has scripted one of the most emotional and compelling football stories in Ugandan folklore – one defined by early promise, fading visibility, and a striking late resurgence that has now delivered him back to the summit of domestic football.
Wahab’s journey began more than a decade ago when he emerged as a lean, lanky, and technically gifted playmaker, carrying the aura of a future star.
Many first noticed him in the 2016 Uganda Cup final at Nakivubo Stadium, where he scored a marvellous freekick for Onduparaka in their 3-1 defeat to Vipers.
Even in loss, he looked destined for greater heights – composed on the ball, unusually elegant in tight spaces, and capable of dictating tempo with minimal effort.
Downward spiral
From that moment, expectations soared. Alongside his Onduparaka teammate Muhammad Shaban, Wahab was tipped to become a cornerstone of the Uganda Cranes’ next generation.
But football rarely follows scripts. While Shaban would go on to experience national team call-ups and glimpses of professional football – albeit inconsistently – Wahab drifted through a more complicated path.
He switched allegiance to South Sudan and began a slow, often unremarked journey through clubs including Arua Hill, Nec, and Wakiso Giants, where flashes of brilliance were overshadowed by inconsistency and a perception of underachievement.
At Wakiso Giants and Nec in particular, he often cut a forlorn figure – gifted but subdued, a player many felt was simply passing time rather than shaping a career. By the time he joined Kitara, he was widely viewed as a talent that had slipped through the cracks.
Second chance
Yet under coach Wasswa Bbosa, everything changed. Wahab was not only revived but repositioned as the creative heartbeat of a rising Kitara side that would go on to claim their second Uganda Cup crown in three seasons after 2024.
Alongside Yunus Sibira, Emmanuel Wasswa, Frank ‘Zaga’ Tumwesigye and Hussein Ssenoga, Wahab completed one of the most robust, dynamic midfield set ups domestically.
His influence was decisive throughout the campaign – controlling games, unlocking defences, and stepping up in defining moments.
The most symbolic contribution came in the semi-final against defending champions Vipers, where Wahab scored in the 1-1 return leg at Kitende, a goal that secured Kitara’s passage to the final on away goals.
From there, he orchestrated the midfield in the final against SC Villa, guiding Kitara to a 2-1 victory and sealing his individual brilliance with both the MVP and Best Midfielder awards.
‘He has been written off too early,’ Bbosa said. ‘The problem in Uganda is we are too quick to discard players. Experience and maturity are what set the Ugandan and Tanzanian leagues apart.”
According to Bbosa, Yanga and Cranes playmaker Allan Okello is finally setting tongues wagging after ten years of learning the hard way.
“Players like Patrick Kaddu, Murushid Juuko, Shaban, Isa Lumu, George Ssenkaaba, Wahab and Meddie Kibirige have all been labelled outdated, yet they form the backbone of our success.’
Ugandan football has seen many such cases – Steven Bengo, Augustine Nsumba, Dan Sserunkuma, Tony Odur, Sadam Juma, Jackson Nunda – talents whose potential never fully aligned with their output.
For Wahab, however, the narrative has turned again. From promise to obscurity and back to prominence, he now stands as a reminder that football careers are not linear – and that revival, when it comes, can be more powerful than early hype.
Individual Accolades
MVP: Gadafi Wahab (Kitara)
Best Midfielder: Gadafi Wahab (Kitara)
Best Goalkeeper: Meddie Kibirige (Kitara)
Top scorer: George Senkaaba (Kitara)
Best Defender: David Owori (SC Villa)
Wahab at a glance
Full name: Gadafi Wahab Thiago Ajuman
Born: December 11, 1995
Citizenship: South Sudan/Uganda
Position:Midfield – Attacking Midfield
Current club: Kitara
Previous clubs: Onduparaka, Arua Hill, Wakiso Giants, Nec