Interview with Dr. Samuel Guma former IMPIS Chairman and Legend.

Qn. Sam, tell us about how you joined the Impis.
Answer: I joined the University in October 1994 and was residing in Nkrumah hall. It was during my first week as a fresher when I saw a poster in the medical school student’s canteen calling for a meeting for all rugby players at the guild canteen. That was the beginning of what turned out to be an exciting five years of university rugby.

Qn. Impis was the best team in the late 1990’s, how did you achieve this?
Answer: It took us a few years to develop a winning culture in Impis. This was possible due to the governance systems put in place especially the hall representatives who were tasked with identifying and recruiting players. With time we built a strong team, with a great spirit that went on to win the 1996 bell league trophy and sent shock waves through the entire rugby fraternity in the late 90’s. The other major achievements included winning the Makerere 10’s a four years in a row, league runners up 97, 98 and 1999 and lifting the Nakuru 10 Aside plate trophy in 1998.

Qn. Why were the Impis regarded as public enemy no. 1 in the late 90’s?
Answer: Well this was due to the fantastic team culture and spirit that we built. We developed tradition of enjoying our game i.e. both attack and defence. This ensured high performance and produced good results through punishing our opponents physically and mentally. Off the pitch we enjoyed every single victory by singing provoking rugby songs and partying all night long. The other teams resented our arrogance and as such did all they could to deny us the last 3 league trophies of the 90’s.

Qn. We have had a lot about the great Impis fans club of the 90’s tell us more!
Answer: Well in 1997, we realised that when ever we played at the ‘grave yard’ (university ground), our fans gave us the encouragement and support that made us play our hearts out and win our games. We therefore assigned each player a task of recruiting at least 5 students into the fans club. We also appointed cheer leaders in each female hall of residence. By 1998 we had a fans club of over 2,000 committed fans. The fans would also contribute small amounts of cash to help us buy refreshments and transport for our away games.

Qn. Why did you win only 1 league title in the late 90’s if you were such a great team?
Answer: 1997 was a year of building a new team that developed in strength and in 1998 a group of very talented players joined the team. We had an unbeaten run the entire season and were putting teams away with cricket scores. Our luck changed on the last day of the season when the Kobs shocked us and snatched the title out of our bag. In 1999 we lost only one game to Kobs and a very poor display of sportsmanship by one of the Kampala based clubs denied us the title that was determined on points difference.

Qn. Tell us more about the evolution of the great Makerere 10’s tournament.
Answer: This is no doubt currently the greatest rugby club tourney in East Africa. The turning point was in 1998 when we decided to make it an international tourney by inviting teams from Kenya and the United Kingdom. We managed to get three Kenyan teams i.e. Mean machine, USIU and Kenya Commercial Bank. We got corporate sponsorship from Castrol Oil, Nile breweries and AAR. Impis won the tournament after beating Mean Machine in an Epic final at the ‘grave yard’. The players and fans then retreated to the lawn between Nkrumah and Northcorte hall with 400 litres of Castle beer and had a fantastic rugby celebration. Since then the tourney has been improving every year. The future leaders of Impis should aim at getting a couple of teams from the UK or South Africa to participate in this prestigious event.

Qn. Do you still remember your rugby songs?
Answer: Definitely, i was one of the ‘brankensberg’ choir leaders. This was a group of players who remixed songs and taught them to the rest of the team. The singing and fun really helped players get to know each other very well and it built a strong team bond. The rugby culture has changed these days so i often sing in my mind. The top 5 songs of 1999 were;

1. Adam and Eve
2. Jah blows the gentle breezes
3. Samba
4. Far away
5. We believe in the Impis formula

Qn. What position did you play on the team and how would you rate tour performance?
Answer: I played at scrum half through out my five years in Impis. I mastered the art of scrum half rugby and developed a good understanding with my no eight David Bukenya and flay half’s Moses Umahtete or Herbert Wafula. My expertise was commanding and directing my pack, releasing the backline, distracting the opposition forwards and exploiting the short side with sudden bursts often breaking the line of defence and scoring tries. I was often voted MVP by my team mates during the shower room celebrations.

Qn. Managing University guys must have been challenging, how did you manage?
Answer: Well it was quite a challenge; the guys have a number of issues that can distract them from their academics and rugby. I would have to counsel and advice the guys how to handle various social issues. I used the open door policy and paid keen attention to their various needs. At one point I had to mobilise accommodation for two players on campus for a full year. This was only possible due to the strong bond and BROTHERHOOD that we had formed. I also used the different leadership styles to suit the situation and above that i had to ensure that i maintained a high level of performance on the pitch to gain the respect of my team mates.

Qn. What are some of your greatest moments as an Impis player?
Receiving the University Colour a Certificate award for outstanding performance in a University team, from the Dean of students in 1999.

Qn. Any other comments
Answer: I would like to acknowledge the contributions of a number of people to this great team. All past players, Shakas’ and Chairmen of the Impis, the Impis Patron 1998-1999 Mr. Leonard Muganwa, 1997-1998 Coach Mr. James Park and the Impis sponsors HIMA Cement. As a tribute to all my team mates of 1998/99, I would like to honour them by writing their names.

1. Mark Bwambale
2. Dean Kainika
3. Deogratius Munube
4. Sam Ahamya (Hon. Secretary)
5. Andrew Hakiza
6. Zeyd Katerega
7. Peter Magona
8. David Bukenya
9. Samuel Guma (Chairman)
10. Moses Umahtete (Captain 98)
11. David Mutaka
12. Herbert Wafula (Vice Captain 98, Captain 99)
13. Robert Otim Opara
14. Anthony Acato
15. Andrew Eseet
16. Robert Omuna
17. Humphrey Owino
18. Ian Kulubya
19. Alex Kalimugogo
20. Andrew Sebwato
21. Joseph Katongole
22. Micheal Ochieng (Speedy)
23. Anthony Kashambo
24. Robert Semakula