Hope and familiarity returned to the Lakeside Oval in Entebbe on Friday as Steve Tikolo was unveiled as the man tasked with guiding the Uganda national cricket team into their next chapter.
For Uganda, the appointment brings back a figure whose name carries weight across African cricket.
Tikolo, a former Kenya national cricket team captain, is widely regarded as one of the greatest cricketers the continent has produced.
His international story began at the 1996 Cricket World Cup where he made his One Day International debut.
Batting at number three in his first innings, he scored 65 against the India national cricket team and quickly announced himself on the global stage.
During the same tournament he top scored with 29 in Kenya’s famous win over the West Indies national cricket team and later struck a brilliant 96 against the Sri Lanka national cricket team.
His influence grew over the years and reached its peak when he captained Kenya to the semi-finals of the 2003 Cricket World Cup, one of the greatest achievements by an Associate cricket nation.
Since retiring, Tikolo has built a coaching career across Africa, working with teams including the Uganda national cricket team, Nigeria national cricket team and Tanzania national cricket team.
His connection with Uganda dates back to 2012 when he joined as batting coach. Uganda went on to win the African T20 Premier League and qualify for the World Cricket League Division II during that period.
He later returned as head coach in 2016 and remained in charge until 2019 before moving on to Tanzania and then Nigeria.
“The reason I’m back is when I left in 2019 we had worked very well with the team and there was a lot of progress,” Tikolo said.
“I kept following Uganda cricket and saw the good things happening, which gave me the desire to come back.”
He watched closely when Uganda reached the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, a moment that carried personal meaning.
“When the boys went to the World Cup I was very happy. These are players I had worked with. I used to wake up around 3am to watch their games,” he said.
Uganda managed just one win in that tournament against the Papua New Guinea national cricket team, and struggles with the bat have remained a concern since the days of former coach Lawrence Mahatlane when players such as Ronak Patel, Roger Mukasa and Simon Ssesazi formed the backbone of the side.
The decline was evident during the 2025 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier where Uganda fell to hosts Zimbabwe national cricket team and later to Tanzania national cricket team.
A poor batting display, including struggles from new recruit then Gaurav Tomar and experimentation with the batting order such as sending Cyrus Kakuru to number three against Zimbabwe, summed up the team’s problems.
Yet a new opportunity has quietly opened for Uganda. Zimbabwe’s run to the Super 8 stage of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup secured their automatic qualification for the 2028 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
With South Africa national cricket team already guaranteed a spot, the African race now largely centres on the Namibia national cricket team and Uganda.
Uganda currently sits behind Namibia in the rankings, but the format means the two teams are likely to be drawn into separate groups during the qualifiers, giving the Cricket Cranes a realistic chance of reaching another World Cup.
“My target right from the onset is to get the team to the 2028 World Cup,” Tikolo said. “Looking at the stats, we have a very good chance.”
Before that dream can take shape, Uganda must first navigate the sub-regional qualifiers in October where they will face hosts Nigeria national cricket team, Zambia national cricket team, Gambia national cricket team, Mozambique national cricket team and Lesotho national cricket team.
The top two teams will advance to the final African qualifier where Namibia await.
Uganda also has its sights on achieving One Day International status. The Cricket Cranes currently lead Challenge League B and will play the final cycle in Tanzania in August, with the top sides progressing to the global qualifiers where four teams will earn ODI status.
“I want us to win that cycle so we can go to the global qualifiers and fight for ODI status,” Tikolo said.
Development remains another key focus. During his previous stint he helped identify players such as fast bowler Juma Miyagi, who has since become one of Uganda’s main bowlers.
“I want to keep producing players for Uganda cricket and work closely with the coaches of the other national teams,” Tikolo said. “My hands are full but I’m ready for the challenge.”
The work begins immediately with a tour to Namibia from March 16 to 26 where Uganda will play two T20 matches and three 50-over games against the Eagles and this return of Tikolo carries a familiar sense of belief.
