The long awaited draws for this year’s Cecafa/Kagame club championship set for July 12-26 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania are set to be held next week, the regional body secretariat has confirmed.

The Cecafa Secretary General Nicholas Musonye told Times Sport that Tanzania will host the regional draw for clubs which will compete in this year’s club championship.

"The pooling of the clubs is expected next week in Dar es Salaam and the seeded clubs will be known a day prior to the event,” Musonye said.

Rwanda will be represented by 1998 champions Rayon Sport and reigning champions APR. Meanwhile, thirteen clubs have already confirmed their participation in the tournament.

Among the confirmed clubs, APR and Rayon Sport will hoist the Rwandan flag in Tanzania. Other clubs confirmed for this year’s event are last year’s losing finalists, APR, Rayon Sport (Rwanda) Uganda Revenue Authority, Vital’O of Burundi, Al Hilal of Sudan, Miembeni FC of Zanzibar, Ten-Ten FC from Eritrea, Awassa City of Ethiopia, Banaadir Telecom of Somalia and AS Compagnie of Djibouti.

Kenya’s Tusker FC, which was barred from this year’s continental championships due to a debt owed to Caf now, has a chance to showcase their supremacy in the regional competition. As a host nation, Tanzania will enjoy an advantage of fielding two teams.

According to Musonye, "We have witnessed the positive changes in the region’s football in sponsorships and football development projects. We wish to see the effect of these on our football,” he said.

He also noted that, all clubs would want to impress because the world had taken keen interest in East African football.

Dar es Salaam’s main stadium, currently under construction, is the most likely venue for the two-week long championship.

"Construction work at the stadium is almost complete. We are very positive everything will be ready before July,” said Musonye.

Musonye also added that the regional body is soon naming other sponsors who have come on board.

President Paul Kagame has been the sole sponsor of event for the past five years.

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