Omedi: Nursing Prison Warder chasing Big League record

Omedi leads the race with 17 goals, two and three ahead of Kaddu and Kitegenyi respectively but that’s not the point; Omedi’s tally is just two short of Edrisa Lubega’s record 19 goals scored seven seasons ago. Omedi has 13 more games to equal or even shutter that record!

“Ooh really!” Omedi exclaimed when Daily Monitor revealed to him the statistics, “that’s the kind of motivation that fires me up. Thanks!”

Booma host Luweero United on Thursday in Masindi. Omedi scored twice to give Booma their first win of the season in a 3-2 thriller in the reverse fixture. He needs just the same count today.

Disappointment

27-year-old, a nurse and prison warder by profession born in Lira, was until last year out of competitive football. He played for his home teams Sporting United and Amuka Bright Stars in the second division before moving to Water around 2018.

He returned home to study a nursing course at the Lira school of Comprehensive Nursing where he graduated in June 2019 before joining Uganda Prisons as a warder. Omedi tried his luck at Maroons, owned by the Prisons but it didn’t work out.

“I had challenges when I tried to train with them because no one knew me. I was side-lined until I gave up on football before being transferred to Masindi,” the striker recounts.

When one door closes, another opens, they say. Omedi did not know that the transfer to Masindi would revive his career;

“The managers at Booma saw me and gave me a chance to play for them during my free time. I scored twelve goals, guiding the team to the Big League and the semi-finals of Uganda Cup. I have gone on to score 17 this season,” he smiles.

Juicy offers

Maroons and a host of topflight teams approached the striker in January after surpassing Kaddu on the scorer’s table but Booma held on him. He is happy to stay, too.

“I got nine teams including Kitara and others from Uganda Premier League who wanted him in January,” his coach and mentor Fred Arinaitwe revealed.

“I got him from the corporate league passing time after leaving active football for two years. One of the terms we agreed is to get him a platform to expose himself and then he would have to stay and score at least 25 goals so that we get him a good offer at the end of the season,” the coach added.

Omedi scored two and assisted four collecting three man-of-the-match accolades as Lang’o Province. He was named the most valuable player of the 2022-23 season despite losing the final to West Nile.

Previous Fufa Big League topscorers since 2013

2013/14 -  Kalanzi Fred (Lweza) -9 goals

2014/15 - Alex Bukenya Kitatta (The Saints F.C) – 15

2015/16 - Edris Lubega (Proline) – 19

2016/17 -  Patrick Kaddu (Maroons) -16

2017/18 - Dickens Okwi (Amuka Bright Stars) – 14

2018/19 - Ivan Bogere (Proline) - 14

2019/20 – Covid interrupted

2020/21 – Clinton Kamugisha (Nyamityobora) – 12

2021/22 – Fred Amaku – 15

Profile

Name: Denis ‘medinho’ Omedi

Date of birth: June 13, 1996

Father: Late John Micheal Oyo

Mother: Grace Akoli

Position: striker

Clubs: Sporting United, Amuka Bright Stars, Water and Booma 

Fufa Drum: Lang’o province