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My recent critiques of SC Villa’s leadership have ignited a passionate discussion among the club faithful.
While a majority stand with me in demanding constitutional legitimacy through elections, a vocal minority dismisses my stance as disruptive, pointing to recent on-field results and an outward calm as signs everything is fine.
I must state plainly that to me, this stability is an illusion, a superficial cover masking a deep structural crisis. Recent history offers a sobering parallel. When Kiryowa Kiwanuka assumed control of Express FC, he was celebrated as a messiah.
He captured the imagination of fans, won favor with Fufa, and was handed the league title on a silver plate. Remember that incomplete league due to Covid-19? Yet, his reign was built on personal authority, not institutional strength.
When his interest waned, Express collapsed into disarray precisely because he had failed to build enduring structures. I warned then of the perils of the ‘big-man’ syndrome. The subsequent decline was inevitable.
Today, Villa is traversing the same dangerous path. Omar Ahmed Mandela has created a cult of personality, merging his identity with the club to an unhealthy degree. Let me be clear, this is not a personal attack.
Off the pitch, I respect Mandela and I’m a big-time patron of his businesses. And by the way, in a fair and timely election, he would likely win. But that is precisely the point. The refusal to hold one is the problem.
The club’s leadership is now operating illegally, its mandate having expired on November 13, 2025. Sporting success does not absolve constitutional delinquency. By clinging to power beyond their term, they are not protecting stability; they are undermining the very foundation of the club.
So, the real tragedy is that Villa’s governance structures; the Members Trust and the Congress have been systematically rendered powerless. This void has been filled by enablers of confusion, chief among them CEO William Nkemba.
His leadership style is one of appeasement and avoidance. He lacks the mettle to address hard truths, choosing instead to whisper in shadows and manage perceptions rather than administer with principle. He is not a custodian of the club, but a facilitator of its stagnation.
The current Villa regime may believe that winning games grants them license to ignore the club constitution. They are wrong. They are planting seeds of long-term ruin for short- term silence.
By refusing to reinstate democratic processes, they are not preserving Villa; they are personally owning it, and in doing so, they risk its very soul. I and those behind me are not calling for chaos; we are calling for continuity.
We are not seeking to tear down a leader, but to uphold an institution greater than any individual. The longer this legal and ethical quagmire persists, the closer we drift toward a precipice.
So, the warning is clear; SC Villa is sitting on a structural time bomb. The explosion, when it comes, won’t just damage a season, it could condemn our historic club to an abyss from which it may not return.
The only solution is integrity, transparency and an immediate return to the constitutional order. The club’s future depends on it.
The author is a football investor and Villa President emeritus.
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