On Saturday 23rd during the Entebbe 7s, many of us were stunned to see Kisubi Lady Pacers player Grace Nabaggala playing for the Walukuba Titans.

Many of us were surprised as Grace is a known player for the Lady Pacers and given that the transfer window is closed, the big question was, how did she make the move?

The answer to all these questions was gotten on Monday 25th.

In a joint statement released by the Walukuba Titans and the Kisubi Lady Pacers, the public was informed that Grace Nabaggala had been given permission to represent the Walukuba Titans in the ongoing Nile Special 7s.

This caused a lot of farce as many are seeing this move as a disadvantage to the other teams.

What does this mean

Grace Nabaggala is one of the most sensational players and she has showed that in the different competitions she has played with the Lady Rugby Cranes 7s team.

However, given how good she is, you cannot just introduce her to a club and tournament in which she wasn’t apart.

This gives that club, in this case Walukuba Titans, an unfair advantage over the other teams.

Walukuba Titans reached the finals in the first circuit, finished third in Gulu.

This time around, with the addition of Grace, they never made it out of the group stages.

How did Grace end up in Walukuba?

It is said that the Lady Cranes 7s technical team wanted Grace to have some game time as part of the preparation for the Africa Women’s 7s which shall take place this November in Kenya.

With this, they advised that she gets into an invitational side and participate in the ongoing Nile Special 7s.

However, according to the Vice President Technical Mr. Eric Butime, some technical officials advised otherwise. He said,

“Initially the request was for Grace to join her team of domicile or to join an invitational side”

However, he added ” some technical people made the argument that for her to play in a side with players with whom she’s far along the curve might not do her and us[country]  justice for Kenya [Africa Women’s 7s] in November”

As a result, they decided to “recommend teams that are relatively sound in their eco-system, technical, coaching environment and competitive edge to complement her known prowess” Butime said.

That is how they arrived at Walukuba Titans, a side which had been newly promoted.

Is Walukuba Titans a fishy choice?

In making this decision, the clubs weren’t informed and this is were most of the problems are coming from.

Most people found out on Saturday, that Grace would be playing for Walukuba.

First and foremost, no one is against the Walukuba Titans but was this choice a fishy one or a convenient one?

This decision was made by Excom and guess what? Walukuba has a representative on the EXCOM.

Mr. Duncan Kirya, who is a former Chairperson of Walukuba, is also the representative for Regions on the Excom.

Secondly, there Walukuba Head Coach Leonard Lubambula, who is also the Chairperson Eastern Uganda Rugby Association, a coach on the National Team and a person that works closely with the Uganda Rugby Union.

Both of them must have known about this move and perhaps used it to benefit their team.

There is no doubt that if the clubs had been approached first, they were never going to reach a consensus.

Perhaps at that time,  Walukuba Titans emerged as the safest or most convenient option.

However, their performance at the Coronation 7s showed that they aren’t a ‘weak’ team as many had hoped and adding them a piece like Grace Nabaggala means you are tipping the scale in their favor.

What does this mean?

This move means 2 things and for the first, it is not the first time this has been done.

The first thing is, the Union is willing to bend or break the laws in order to benefit themselves or another entity in the guise of ‘growing the game’.

Teams sign on the tournament manuals before participating and if they break the rules, they are liable for punishment.

What if the Union breaks the laws in favor of one team, who pays?

This is exactly what happened. The transfer window is off and in the middle of a tournament, a player ‘magically’ plays for another team. That is unacceptable. You ought to follow the procedures.

According to Mr. Eric Butime, the “most important” stake holders were consulted but the teams weren’t part.

Aren’t teams ‘important’ stakeholders?

This breaking/bending of the law is not the first time. We saw this last year when a temporary/’illegal’ transfer window was opened for the Victoria Sharks.

Secondly, this is an indication that some players perhaps already have reserved slots on the National Team.

There is no doubt that some players are better than others but by the time the EXCOM has to break structures for your convenience means you are very special.

Is Grace Nabaggala that special?

Mrs. Anne Sizomu commented on what this decision means.

“The message you are sending is that this player [Grace] already has her slot [on National Team] cemented”

In a system where we believe that the team is chose on based on merit, this seems like it’s not the case.

It looks like one person is being favored and this doesn’t sit well with the others who are equally working hard.

The thing is, no one is stopping Grace from playing. She’s good at her craft and we all acknowledge how important she is for the Lady Rugby Cranes.

However, when making decisions that no only affect her, have you considered the other teams and players?

That is the part that whoever made the decision erred in.

They should have informed teams prior and an amicable solution would have been found.

Right now, all this looks like is a circus.