It is a story of passion for Kassim Kyazze. Last Saturday, he was awarded “Fan of the match” after the Uganda Cranes game and also given a ticket to watch the final game of the continent. Kyazze is no ordinary fan. From 2013, he started painting himself for Cranes games at Namboole stadium after realising that the spectators in the stands needed something different.
Last year, he signed a Shs 2 million contract with Ecobank to take part in their 2017 Afcon build-up and promotions campaign. He then found himself getting a passport for the first time, as eventually one thing led to another. He was on RwandAir with his tins of paint headed for Gabon, to watch the Afcon. He had to largely depend on other fans, including sleeping on the floor of their rooms, to survive the few days he was in Gabon. Yet, maybe he would not have had to undergo this, if he had immediately flown back to Uganda, after Cranes were defeated by the Black Stars, as he had been scheduled to.
But as the pre-historical adage: ‘no gain without pain’ goes, Kyazze’s struggles paid off. The kindness of people like KCCA FC chairman Julius Kabugo, Makindye division chairman Ali Nganda and Cranes goalkeeper Denis Onyango, who came to his aid propelled Kyazze to an African icon at least momentarily.
During the Cranes/Pharaohs game last Saturday, Kyazze’s name was sounded out by the stadium announcer at Stade de Port-Gentil as the fan of the match. The giant screen inside the stadium focused on him, to bring out his identity, as a number of fans, Ugandans and not, all sought selfies with him.
But above all, he received a plaque with an inscription reading: Fan-of-the-match (Egypt v Uganda) last Saturday during which broadcast channels, including SuperSport, focused on him.
During the 2017 Afcon qualifiers, Kyazze carried a banner reading: Gabon Afcon 2017, Uganda Cranes na mutima, the chosen one, Denis Onyango. This message was so humbling to Onyango, that through his friends, he sought to meet this fellow.
Their first meeting was overwhelming for Kyazze: “This is a guy I only earlier watched on TV or in the stadium. For him to come looking for me was life-changing.”
His peers started calling him Onyango, a name he has proudly accepted. He also has received goalkeeping gloves and replica jerseys from The Cranes custodian he had idolized for years. This relationship has brought value to what Kyazze does.
“I got into this business of painting my body to make people happy and make friends,” he says.
Ironically, when he arrived at the stadium for the Egypt game, the security personnel denied him entry because the helmet he wore on his head, was deemed a security threat.
But he eventually succeeded in making a grand entry, that culminated in him being announced as the best fan in that game. As part of his reward, Kyazze received a match ticket for the Afcon final but does not have the finances to keep him in Gabon until February 5.
Kudos!
Source: The Observer