By Elton Mwidu
Jimmy Kintu Mwera during his unveiling as the new URA Football Club head coach after signing a two-year contract.
For Jimmy Kintu Mwera, the journey to becoming head coach of URA Football Club (URA FC) can be traced back to Uganda Christian University (UCU), where he built an important foundation for his coaching career.
Long before his name became familiar among coaches in Uganda’s top-flight football, Kintu was on the touchline with the UCU Cardinals, working with university students and building a team that would go on to make history.
In 2019, Kintu guided the UCU Cardinals to their maiden University Football League (UFL) title, defeating St Lawrence University 2-1 in the final. It was a landmark achievement for the Cardinals, who had never gone beyond the quarter-finals of the competition.
The victory not only gave UCU its first UFL title but also put Kintu’s coaching ability in the spotlight. Working with young university players, he demonstrated his ability to develop talent, build a disciplined team and compete successfully at a national level.
His connection with UCU continued beyond that historic victory. Kintu returned to the Cardinals and remained involved in the university’s football programme, later guiding the team to the Association of Uganda University Sports (AUUS) championship in 2022.
For the UCU community, these achievements remain an important part of his story. But for Kintu, UCU was only the beginning of a much bigger coaching journey.
He went on to gain experience across different levels of football, including youth, senior men’s and women’s football. His time at Kyetume FC became another important stage in his development. After working within the club’s technical setup, Kintu was given greater responsibility when head coach Jackson Mayanja left in 2021, with the club fighting to remain in the Uganda Premier League.
The experience exposed him to the pressures of senior professional football and added another dimension to his coaching career.
His reputation as a developer of young talent became even more evident through his work with St Noa Girls FC. Under his leadership, St Noa won the 2024/25 FUFA Women Elite League and secured promotion to the FUFA Women Super League. The team also won the 2025 USSSA Girls Football Championship and reached the final of the CAF Africa Schools Football Championship.
The success at St Noa demonstrated Kintu’s ability to build more than just competitive teams. He was also developing young footballers and creating pathways for them to progress to higher levels of the game.
Kintu later returned to the Uganda Premier League, taking charge of Calvary FC in 2025 before moving to Express FC. Although his spell at Calvary ended after a difficult run of results, he quickly got another opportunity at Express, where he worked alongside Godfrey Magoba.
That partnership would later follow him to his biggest assignment yet.
On June 29, 2026, URA FC appointed Kintu as its new head coach on a two-year contract, with Magoba joining him as first assistant coach.
The appointment represents a major milestone in a coaching journey that began, in significant part, with the UCU Cardinals.
URA FC is a four-time Uganda Premier League champion, but Kintu has taken charge at a time when the club is seeking to rebuild after finishing 11th in the 2025/26 season. He now faces the challenge of restoring one of Uganda’s established clubs to competitiveness.
For Kintu, the task brings together years of experience gained from different football environments.
From coaching university students at UCU, to working under pressure at Kyetume, developing young female footballers at St Noa, and gaining further Uganda Premier League experience with Calvary and Express, each chapter has contributed to his growth as a coach.
His story is a reminder that football careers are often built gradually — through opportunities, setbacks, lessons and achievements.
For UCU Alumni, Kintu’s journey carries a special significance. The coach who once stood on the touchline guiding the UCU Cardinals is now leading one of Uganda’s historic Premier League clubs.
His journey from UCU to URA FC is therefore more than a story about football. It is a story about growth, persistence and the possibilities that can emerge when talent is given an opportunity to develop.
As he begins his new chapter at URA FC, the UCU Cardinals remain an important part of the story — the place where a young coach gained valuable experience and began building the foundation for a career that continues to grow.