THE name Jean Baptiste Kayiranga is synonymous with Rwanda football. Ask him any question about the history of Rwanda football and he will give you answers off his fingers.

The current Mukura coach has vast experience in coaching stretching over a decade. His experience has seen him work with several clubs like Rayon Sport, SC Kiyovu, AS Kigali, Gicumbi FC and Amavubi stars where he worked as the assistant head coach.

His playing career

Kayiranga featured for Rayon Sport in Rwanda and Tunisia’s premier league side Ramarsa FC during his 12-year career as a footballer.

The soft spoken Kayiranga joined Nyanza-based Rayon Sport in 1988 when he was barely 19 and went on to help the blues win various titles but the league title eluded him as his team always finished second or third. Notable among the titles he won during his playing days are three Peace Cup (formerly Rwanda Cup) titles.

Kayiranga left his childhood club, Rayon Sports and headed far north to join Tunisia’s national league side Ramarsa where he spent two seasons from 1996 to 1998 before coming back to Rayon sports in late 1998. 

Upon his arrival at Rayon for his second spell, he took on a double role as a coach and player, a feat he diligently managed for two seasons before officially retiring from playing at the end of 2000 season.

His Coaching career

Kayiranga started his coaching career at Rayon sports as assistant coach and player from 1998 to 2000. However, in 2000 he officially started coaching on a professional basis still with the blues, a team that he says he owes a lot. 

He started as an assistant coach, assisting Congolese-born technician Raoul Jean-Pierre Shungu who led Rayon Sports to one Peace cup and four league titles between 1997 and 2004. 

But in the middle of 2004 league, Shungu left and Kayiranga stepped in as head coach to lead the club to their sixth league title.

After coaching the 46-year-old Rayon Sports for two seasons as head coach (2005, 2006), Kayiranga helped Rayon to win the Peace Cup title in 2005. 

After the 2006 season, Kayiranga parted ways with Rayon and joined Kigali city-sponsored AS Kigali for one season (2006/2007) before returning as assistant coach under Shungu in the 2007/2008 season and went on to win Kigali city’s 100th anniversary tourney title.

In the seasons of 2008/2009, 2009/2010, Kayiranga was Rayon’s head coach again following Raoul Shungu’s departure.

Kayiranga left Rayon in late 2010 and spent a whole season with no club before switching to archrivals Kiyovu SC for the next two seasons (2011/2012, 2012/2013) from where he left to join the then newly promoted Gicumbi FC in September 2013. He helped Gicumbi finish in the ninth position.

Kayiranga was recently appointed new Mukura VS coach to lead them through the 2014/2015 season.

Role in national team, Amavubi stars

The 45-year-old Kayiranga has been assistant coach of the national football team, Amavubi stars for several times including the recent one-year assistant coach job.

Kayiranga also had a chance to be head coach of the Amavubi stars for one month in 2005 during the Cecafa senior challenge staged in Rwanda where hosts Amavubi lost 1-0 to Ethiopia. He took over the team after head coach Gilbert Yaoundé Kanyankore was sacked in the middle of the tournament.

Memorable matches

As a player his most memorable game is when Rayon beat Kiyovu 3-1 in 1993.

" I scored the first goal and provided assists to two other goals. Kiyovu was very strong back then and beating them was everyone’s pride,”  Kayiranga says.

As a coach, the game that still flashes in his mind is the match when Rayon smashed APR 1-0  in the 2003/2004 season. He says this was possible despite having many injured players on his team.

Retiring idea

Kayiranga has no plans to retire until he is physically unable to coach, "I don’t have an idea of when I could retire from coaching. Football has become like opium to me. I would be lying if I precisely say at a certain age I will hang up the boots.”

Piece of advice

His advice is that football should be professionalised.

He adds that all teams should have clear management structures and a spirit of ownership for both the fans and players.

Countries travelled

Kayiranga has travelled to different countries such as Belgium, Germany, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Ivory Coast, Central Africa Republic, Benin, Senegal, Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania, Congo Brazzaville, Tanzania and Burundi among others.

Who is Kayiranga?

Kayiranga was born in Rwamagana District, Eastern Province to Augustin Ntambara and Dorothea Kakuze in 1969. His father had four wives and nineteen children.

Kayiranga is married to Jeanne D’Arc Uwimana and the couple has been blessed with three children, two boys and one girl.

 Kayiranga attended Murambi primary school in Rwamagana before joining APE Rugunga for secondary school where he graduated in 1990 with a certificate in accounting.

He later enrolled for studies at Huye district-based national University of Rwanda (NUR) but only did one year in journalism and information and later quit to concentrate on football.

Coach Kayiranga says he enjoyed watching Argentina’s legend Diego Almando Maradona during his football days. 

His favourite player currently is Argentina’s captain and FC Barcelona’s forward Lionel Messi.