Kalumba breaks shackles with first Vipers goal

The moment was always going to come but not even the hardnosed of pundits could have envisaged when youthful striker Brian Kalumba would break his goal-scoring duck.

The 21-year-old lived his dream on Saturday, October 12, 2019 at the St Mary’s Stadium in Kitende during the Venoms’ 3-0 authoritative victory over Express FC in the StarTimes Uganda Premier League.

Kalumba came off the bench to end his hoodoo with a strike that left the visiting Red Eagles down and out after imposing marksman Fahad Bayo had notched his brace. He latched onto a through ball from Bayo, showing defender Martin Kiiza a clean pair of heels before cutting inside and rifling his shot into the Express’ net.

The youngster made his topflight debut in 2018 against Express replacing ex-Venom Erisa Ssekisambu, now at KCCA, in a match Vipers comfortably won 5-0 under Portuguese tutor Jorge Miguel Da Costa.

But Kalumba remains one of the lesser known players at the Kitende-based club having struggled to get regular football despite joining at the back-end of last season.

Many critics wrote him off early on whereas others voiced out their opinions that Kalumba would never make it at Vipers. But the youngster has quietened the storm.

“I have faced a number of tests and challenges but I am grateful to God,” said the soft-spoken forward. “At the start of the year, someone asked me why I was still at Kitende but I am glad these questions are beginning to be answered.”
Vipers forward, Brian Kalumba

Kalumba has now made six appearances for the Venoms, three this season thus far – against SC Villa, Police and Express. He also featured twice and once under Javier Martinez Espinoza and Da Costa’s reigns respectively.

He remains defiant that he will win more caps and attributes the few shifts to stiff competition at the club.

“The competition has always been tight from the time I joined. There was Tony Odur, Ssekisambu, Dan ‘Mzee’ Sserunkuma, Milton Karisa and Pius Wangi. All these are gifted players and it was never going to be that easy for me to make quick in-roads,” explained Kalumba.

The former SMASK student is optimistic he can achieve more this season but hard work and fighting complacency must be constant in his daily routine.

“My confidence is growing though there is need to double my efforts. I acknowledge,” concluded Kalumba.

And with such an honest assessment of his abilities, Kalumba is destined to be a routine headliner grabber for club and possibly country in the near future.