By the time the Uganda Premier League paused for the AFCON break, the mood at the FUFA Technical Centre in Jinja had already shifted.
BUL FC’s decision to part ways with head coach Abbey Bogere Kikomeko did not come as a shock.
It felt like the inevitable end to a difficult period marked by discipline issues, slipping results and growing uncertainty about the club’s direction.
BUL became the seventh club to change a head coach this season, a clear sign of the pressure sweeping through the league.
But Kikomeko’s exit went beyond league standings. It was the result of problems that had been building quietly for months.
On paper, the numbers were troubling. BUL sat 12th on the 16 team table with just 10 points from 11 matches; two wins, four draws and five defeats. More alarming was where those losses came from.
Three home defeats to Police, KCCA and Entebbe UPPC cut deep, stripping BUL of the home strength they have long prided themselves on.
The decline was sudden and unfamiliar, underlined by a 3-1 loss away to Vipers in Kitende, a ground where BUL had built a reputation for resilience.
Five straight defeats in all competitions sealed Kikomeko’s fate, with the home loss to Police widely seen as the final straw.
Confidence drained from the stands, belief faded on the pitch, and losing late in games began to feel routine with some people around voicing out witchcraft something that at some point started to get into the players’ heads.
This was a team that only a season earlier had earned admiration for its determination during a 25 game unbeaten run. That streak ended against Kitara, and with it went BUL’s sense of control and calm.
The deeper cracks, however, appeared earlier. In April 2025, during an Uganda Cup quarterfinal against Kitara FC, Kikomeko crossed a line.
After BUL’s elimination, he was found guilty of violent conduct towards a steward and threatening match officials.
FUFA’s Disciplinary Panel handed him a six month ban from all football related activities and a UGX 5 million fine.
The suspension came at a crucial stage of the season and left BUL without their head coach on the touchline.
Forced to navigate key fixtures without their technical leader, the club stretched the bench and eventually finished third with 59 points, 10 behind champions Vipers.
When Kikomeko returned in October, BUL had just beaten Buhimba United Saints and drawn 0-0 with Express. But the rhythm was gone.
Performances lacked the sharp edge that once defined the team. Some pointed to fragile confidence, others whispered about distractions, but the reality was simpler, stability had been broken.
The coach who once commanded authority was now battling on several fronts, form, confidence and perception. Each defeat deepened the feeling that the partnership was nearing its end.
Yet Kikomeko’s time at BUL should not be reduced to its ending. Appointed in 2023, he restored competitiveness, won back to back FUFA Super 8 titles and guided the club to a league runners up finish.
As reports emerged of BUL quietly exploring new technical options, the sense grew that the club was and is ready for a reset.
As the league pauses for AFCON, the separation feels less like a sudden dismissal and more like a shared acceptance that change was necessary and therefore it’s an opportunity for the Eastern Giants to steady the ship and rediscover direction.
