Kizito left family in search of a bigger family, and found one

Twitter, or X as it became to be known, is Pirates stomping ground. So the announcement raised dust. Fans welcomed the boy, who, a week earlier, had gone on to torment opponents in the Safari 7s in Kenya. 
But, we shall come back to that, later.

Arnold Atukunda is a Pirates' fans darling. Being the loudmouth he is on Twitter, people "cooked" him, pointing at the competition that Kizito will present to the famous "Safe Boda" on the wings. But, we shall come back to that, later.

Football first
Twenty three years ago, Roy Batholomew Kizito was born. His father, Dennis Kizito Bbuye, is a former footballer. Not the Uganda Cranes standards but a number of appearances for Makerere University football team and Masaza Cup here and there. 

Ideally, he would have wished for his son to follow that same route, and maybe, go farther. Not to be.

Of course, like majority of children growing up in Uganda, football comes first. The young man enjoyed kicking the round leather, mainly in Nabbingo, his village. 

He became so good at it at Mugwanya Preparatory Primary School, Kabojja to the extent that early this year, he met a former teacher who asked him which Uganda Premier League clubs he's playing for. Away from football, he was good at athletics, both sprints and long distances. Nowonder he plays wing. 

Things changed in 2014 when he joined London College of St. Lawrence for his Senior One. He saw the oval ball and fell in love. Of course, he was tiny to the bones and his parents reported him to his teachers.

"Don't let this boy play that dangerous sport," they yelled. 
However, Kizito kept going against this "negative energy" and whenever he'd doubt his size, he had another small man to look up to: Conrad Wanyama, the current Pirates scrumhalf and Rugby Cranes vice captain.

Wanyama is still a small man. Now imagine how small he was, ten years ago. Isaac Massanganzira, another Pirates and Uganda Rugby 7s national team rock, was with Wanyama in Senior Six and since they were school team superstars, they kept coaching the young ones and brooding them for the tough days ahead.

Now you clearly see why Kizito followed them to Pirates, no?
But, we shall come back to that, later.

Too small a rhino

After his Senior Six in 2020, Kizito joined Rhinos. But we all know Rhinos are a huge animal so it was always going to be tough for a "rhino" the size of a rabbit to find life going. For the whole long holiday and half of his first year at campus, he was a disgruntled, fringe figure at Rhinos.

On the other end, Godfrey Ayebare, who Kizito began with at St. Lawrence, was balling for Impis. Majorly, maybe, because Ayebare was studying at Makerere University while Kizito was at Makerere University Business School (Mubs) in Nakawa.

On December 12, 2021, Ayebare sat his friend down. "It was my birthday and he told me: 'the biggest birthday gift that I can give you is to advise you to join Impis. Think about, decide and you will never regret," recalls Kizito. And the rest is history.

Impis is family 

But who doesn't know that? Social media without Impis'  and their "#Arrogance" hashtag would have been a horribly quite and boring place. 

"That team is vibe," Kizito says. He was welcomed with open hands and instantly felt at home. He doesn't want to say he regretted the "wasted" time at Rhinos because, well, today's athletes have been coaches to "be nice" and polite. He says it was a learning moment. 

At Impis, Kizito came out of his shell. Long legs. Pace. Hard work. Always running, which all made him a regular try scorer. See, Impis is a closely knit unit and even on pitch, it shows. They hug, laugh and spread the good vibes. Of course, the majority are students. What would you expect?

Now, remember the influence of Wanyama and Massa from St. Lawrence? It has never died and it would come to play a huge role in Pirates' capture of Kizito.

Marvin Odongo, Pirates coach, approached Kizito and laid down his plans to work with him. Now, it was tough for the young man to leave Impis but look, Pirates is obviously the lord of the seas and rules the waters. Tough decision to make.

Kizito says he spoke to Emmanuel Katuntu, the Impis coach. "He wants the best for me, so he told me to not only just decide on my future, but also decide wisely. Frankly, it was hard to leave Impis but it's harder not to join a team like Pirates for an opportunity to play with guys like Wanyama and Massa, my mentors," he reasons.

Rough seas make good watermen 

Kizito has trained with his new teammates for the second week now. He knows that since the separation of the codes, he will have to wait longer for his Pirates debut. 

He has been warmly welcomed to the Bweyogerere fold and he reckons there is good camaraderie, more like the one he left at Impis.

"Pirates is bigger, of course. In terms of everything; the hunger to win, the criticism and scrutiny from outside forces, the brand; everything. It's a huge but that's what brought me," he shouts.

About the competition for places, Kizito goes philosophical. "What's player development without challenges? I will do my best in training and leave the rest to the coaches. I know I belong here and that's what matters today and tomorrow," he says. 

Surely, friends of banter will send that line to Atukunda. 

Fireworks in Nairobi, and what a year!
 

Kizito's performances at Impis were being closely monitored by Tolbert Onyango, the 7s national team coach. He selected him to train with the Dubai bound team in December last year, but got dropped. Kizito knew his time would come. He kept learning and working hard. For the Rugby Africa 7s in Zimbabwe, where Uganda won bronze, Kizito was called and still left out.

He was still learning and trusting Father Time, he says. 
In November, his chance came. To announce himself at the Safari 7s in Kenya. Nervous but ready. "The night before our opening game, Adrian Kasito (vice captain) told me that the coach had selected me because I was one of the best players in Uganda and told me to go out and enjoy myself. That calmed me down and I was ready to fly."

Fly he did. Scoring the opening try of the game in your first ever national team appearance can have such an unbelievable calming effect. Boy on fire, he went on to score five more to finish the tournament as Uganda's top try scorer, and second overall, with just one behind Kenya captain, Vincent Onyala. 

That outing and more earned him a nomination for the Nile Special-URU upcoming player of the year alongside Walukuba Barbarians' Gift Wokorach and Shakim Ssembusi. The latter walked away with the coveted plaque. Kizito's head is still facing up. 

"I have worked very hard for all this. At the beginning of this year I set a goal for myself to be one of the most talked about players by the end of 2023, and here we are. I am still going for more, both club and country," he warns.

Currently, the goal is to keep working hard and cementing a place in the national 7s setup for the upcoming engagements and also give the best to Pirates, his new bosses. 
And sail strong. 

In brief
Name: Roy Batholomew Kizito
Date of Birth: December 12, 2000
Position: Wing (11,14)
Club: Pirates
Former clubs: Rhinos (2020-21), Impis (2021-2023)
National team (7s) debut: November 20
Occupation: Student (3rd year, Bsc. Entrepreneurship and Business Management, Mubs)