Uganda’s rising officiating star Shamirah Nabadda has added another milestone to her fast-growing legacy, claiming one of the continent’s most coveted honours after being named 2025 CAF Women’s Referee of the Year at a colourful gala in Rabat, Morocco, on Wednesday night.
The award caps off a remarkable two-year surge that has seen Nabadda redefine what is possible for Ugandan officials on the global stage. Once a promising young referee navigating regional tournaments, she has now become one of Africa’s most trusted figures with the whistle.
Her trajectory has been nothing short of groundbreaking. The 2024 Paris Olympics thrust her into the global spotlight when she became the first Ugandan woman to officiate at the Games, a moment that signaled Uganda’s arrival in elite refereeing circles. Since then, her assignments have spanned the continent and beyond from the CAF Women’s Champions League and WAFCON to World Cup and Olympic qualifiers, as well as multiple CAF youth competitions.
She also handled matches at the historic CHAN 2024 tournament co-hosted by Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania.
Nabadda now joins the exclusive ranks of Africa’s officiating greats, succeeding Moroccan trailblazer Bouchra Karboubi, who won the award last year.
The night also celebrated other standout officials, with Somalia’s Omar Abdulkadr voted Best Male Referee, Djibouti’s Razak Liban named Best Assistant Male Referee, and Senegal’s Tabara Mbodji taking home the Best Assistant Female Referee award.
Away from the refereeing categories, CAF also turned the spotlight on East Africa’s political leadership. The CAF President’s Outstanding Achievement Award was jointly presented to the heads of state of Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania Presidents Yoweri Museveni, William Ruto, and Samia Suluhu Hassan.
The trio were honoured for their collective investment in football development, improved infrastructure, and their role in successfully staging the CHAN 2024 tournament under the “Pamoja” banner. With preparations for AFCON 2027 already in motion, the award signals CAF’s recognition of East Africa as an emerging powerhouse in hosting major competitions.
For Nabadda, the moment was both personal and symbolic a celebration of the years of persistence, discipline, and excellence that have propelled her from local grounds to Africa’s biggest stage. It also marks a new chapter for Uganda’s refereeing fraternity, which now finds itself standing taller on the continental map.
