Kenya Police Bullets/ HANDOUTCaptain Agnes Nabukenya scored the decisive goal in the 100th minute to hand Kawempe a historic victory and make them the first Ugandan club to qualify for the CAF Women’s Champions League.
Bullets' defeat extended a frustrating run at the regional qualifiers, with the Kenyan champions now having reached two finals and a semi-final in their three consecutive campaigns without securing the sole CECAFA ticket to the continental tournament.
Their first major breakthrough came in 2024 when Police reached the final in Addis Ababa after edging Tanzanian giants Simba Queens 3-2 in the semi-finals. Their campaign ended with a 1-0 defeat to hosts Commercial Bank of Ethiopia in the final, Senaf Wakuma scoring the winner in the 79th minute.
Police returned in 2025 and again made a deep run, reaching the semi-finals. Their hopes of progressing to the final were ended by Tanzania’s JKT Queens, who held them to a 1-1 draw after regulation and extra time before winning 4-2 on penalties.
The law enforcers recovered to beat Kampala Queens 1-0 in the third-place play-off and finish third.
This year, however, Police appeared to have assembled a side capable of finally overcoming the final hurdle.
They opened their 2026 campaign with a 2-1 victory over Tanzanian heavyweights Simba Queens before completing their group-stage assignment with a convincing 3-1 win over Burundi’s Top Girls Academy.
Martha Amunyolet scored twice against Top Girls, while Eglay Mukhwana added the other goal as Police secured their place in the last four.
The Kenyan champions then produced their most emphatic performance of the tournament, sweeping aside South Sudan’s Yei Joint Stars 5-0 in the semi-finals to book their place in the final.
Police had therefore scored 10 goals and conceded only two in their three matches on the road to the final, giving them a strong platform to finally claim the regional crown.
Coach David Bujego had expressed confidence that his side could go all the way.
“We have tried and failed to win the trophy, but this time we are determined and prepared to go all the way and win the title,” Bujego said ahead of the knockout stage.
His players delivered on that ambition by reaching the final, but once again failed to take the decisive step.
Neither side could find the breakthrough during the opening 90 minutes, forcing the contest into an additional 30 minutes. Kawempe eventually broke the deadlock when Nabukenya struck in the 100th minute, leaving Police with no time to mount a response.
The result capped a remarkable campaign for Kawempe, who maintained a perfect record throughout the tournament. They began with a 1-0 victory over Commercial Bank of Ethiopia before demolishing Djibouti’s FC Ujeco 8-0.
They followed that with a 3-0 semi-final victory over CBE to set up the final against Police.
Kawempe’s success is also a landmark moment for Ugandan women’s football, with the club earning the country its first-ever place in the CAF Women’s Champions League finals.
Commercial Bank of Ethiopia finished third after thrashing Yei Joint Stars 6-1 in the play-off.
Bullets' latest defeat will be particularly difficult to digest given the club’s dominance domestically. The law enforcers entered the CECAFA qualifiers as reigning FKF Women’s Premier League champions after securing a third consecutive league title in the 2025/26 season.
But that domestic dominance has yet to translate into continental success.
Police have now finished second in 2024, third in 2025 and second again in 2026 at the CECAFA qualifiers, underlining both their consistency and their inability to clear the final hurdle.
