Deputy Speaker Tayebwa meets Andre Onana, makes Manchester United plea

Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa, and his son had a  memorable encounter with Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana during the player’s visit to Uganda ahead of Cameroon’s AFCON 2025 qualifier match against Kenya.

Tayebwa, an ardent Manchester United fan, expressed his excitement at seeing an African footballer succeed at one of the world’s biggest clubs.

Tayebwa also requested Onana to ask the Manchester United team to visit Uganda because of the huge fan base.

In a light-hearted moment, Tayebwa joked about researching whether Onana has any Ugandan roots, noting the shared heritage between Uganda’s Bakiga people and Cameroon.

He also revealed that Onana had invited him and his son to watch a live match at Old Trafford, Manchester United’s home ground, a gesture Tayebwa welcomed with enthusiasm.

“This is my young brother, I was in Cameroon and the food there is almost the same as in Uganda. We feel very proud when we see our brother carrying the African flag and we wish him all the success.

I know he is playing against our East African brothers (Kenya) but I am for him. The message I have for him is he has a lot of fans here and he has settled in the Man United team well. We might be struggling but we remain Man United and shall be successful again. I want him to tell the team (Man United) to come and visit Uganda, we love them.” Said Tayebwa.

Onana’s Cameroon will face off with Kenya in the AFCON 2025 group J qualifier match behind closed doors of Mandela National Stadium in Namboole on Monday.