By Robert Kayindi James
Ochaya, Ochaya, Ochaya!! That’s all the fans shouted on 29th March at Nelson Mandela National Stadium as Uganda Cranes faced off with Burkina Faso in their reverse fixture of the Group D 2017 AFCON Qualifiers that ended goalless.
The following day, the Kampala Capital City Authority Football Club (KCCA FC) left back went on to play at least 75 minutes as his side beat SC Villa 1-0 to win the StarTimes inaugural cup.
The 23-year-old then took his international performance to club level, scoring a brace as the Kasasiro boys defeated Bright Stars on Tuesday, 5th April at the Champion Stadium, Mwererwe in the Azam Uganda Premier League (AUPL).
Following his splendid performance, Uganda Cranes head coach Milutin Micho Sredojevic couldn’t have been more impressed as he hailed the former Asante Kotoko (Ghana) defender.
“With all quality displays for KCCA and Cranes, garnished with goals and assists, Joseph Ochaya is the most outstanding player in Uganda at present,” Micho told Soka25east.com
The youngster has had an impressive run of performances since reuniting with KCCA during the 2015 summer transfer window.
First was at the July-2015 CECAFA Kagame Club Championship in Dar-es-Salaam before being part of the Cranes that won Uganda’s record 14th CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup title in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in December 2015.
Since then, Ochaya has displaced Gor Marhia’s Godfrey Walusimbi from the left back position on the national team.
Meanwhile, Ochaya says he has turned down so many professional offers on the African Continent in anticipation of a European move like U-23 National team captain Farouk Miya who joined Standard Liege, Belgium.
