Muhammad Athiyo has been appointed head coach of the Uganda Lady Cranes XVs, taking charge of the national women’s 15s team ahead of the 2026 season.
The appointment was confirmed by the Uganda Rugby Union (URU) through its official X platform.
“We are delighted to announce the appointment of Athiyo Muhammad as Head Coach of the Lady Cranes XVs team,” Uganda Rugby Union posted.
Athiyo, who built a formidable reputation at Heathens Rugby Club, officially ended a nine-year tenure with the Kyadondo-based side in May 2025.
During his time from 2016 to 2025, he guided Heathens to five league titles (2016/17, 2018/19, 2019/20, 2022, 2024), three Uganda Cups (2016, 2022, 2023/24), and a National 7s Series title in 2024.
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His era included unbeaten league campaigns in 2019/20 and 2022, as well as a treble-winning season in 2024.
Athiyo succeeds Charles Onen and will be assisted by Kigongo Ssebalamu and Byron Okuba, with Dorcus Mundua Asiimire appointed team manager.
In their most recent 15s campaign, the Uganda Lady Cranes finished third in the 2025 Rugby Africa Women’s Cup.
Coach Muhammad Athiyo will be up match former coach Charles Onen who guided the team through qualification from Division II and ensured they retained their place in Division I.
The Lady Cranes open their 2026 campaign with test matches against Tunisia before competing in the Rugby Africa Women’s Cup Division I tournament with full details yet to be confirmed.
