The Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) unveiled a list of 19 match officials for the tournament, including Samuel Uwikunda as a centre referee and Dieudonne Mutuyimana and Didier Ishimwe as assistant referees.
The officiating team comprises nine centre referees and 10 assistant referees drawn from CECAFA member associations. The tournament returns to Rwanda for the first time since 2019.
The selected centre referees are Samuel Uwikunda (Rwanda), Dickens Mimisa (Kenya), Saddam Houssein Mansour (Djibouti), Nasir Salum Siyah (Zanzibar), Ahmed Arajiga (Tanzania), Dick Okello (Uganda), Abdifatah Said Mire (Somalia), Malong Ring (South Sudan) and Sabri Muhammad Fadi (Sudan).
The assistant referees are Dieudonne Mutuyimana (Rwanda), Didier Ishimwe (Rwanda), Ally Ramadhani Rajabu (Tanzania), Hamdani Said Ally (Tanzania), Samuel Karia (Kenya), Ronald Katenya (Uganda), Omer Hamid (Sudan), Eleyeh Robleh (Djibouti), Gasim Muder Dhiya (South Sudan) and Mahad Ali Mohamud (Somalia).
CECAFA Head of Refereeing Ali Ahmed, Ali Ahmed, said the officials have already begun preparations ahead of the regional competition, which will feature 12 teams.
“We selected referees from different member associations. They started their preparations on Tuesday and we are confident they will deliver quality performances throughout the tournament,” he said.
Ahmed added that the preparations are also intended to help officials build experience ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
The 2026 CECAFA Kagame Cup kicks off on Friday, with Vipers SC of Uganda taking on Garde Républicaine FC of Djibouti in the opening match, before Rwanda’s APR FC faces Gor Mahia FC of Kenya.
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