City Oilers is a basketball club based in Lugogo, Kampala, Uganda. The team competes in the Ugandan National Basketball League (NBL), where it has won 10 championships, the most in league history. The Oilers currently also play in the Basketball Africa League (BAL).
Founded in 2011 by a group of friends, the team is named after its main sponsor City Oil.
History The club was founded by a group of friends who decided to play basketball together. They started playing pick-up games at courts in Kampala, with former national league players joining. Later, Justus Mugisha became head coach and suggested the team joined a basketball league. In 2011, the team was pitched to the director of oil company City Oil and the team was founded as City Oilers. The team started in the NBL Division III in 2011. Later, the team promoted to the NBL Uganda, which it would win eight straight years from 2014. Additionally, the team made several continental appearances, including the 2009 FIBA Africa Clubs Champions Cup.
The team played in the first round of the 2022 BAL Qualifying TournamentsUlinzi starts Dar show DANN O’WERRE (The Star), 29 October 2021. Accessed 18 February 2022. where it finished the group play 2-0 but eventually withdrew before the start of the Elite 16. The following year, City Oilers qualified for the 2023 BAL season after beating Urunani in the third place game of the Road to BAL. The Oilers finished 6th in the Nile Conference, winning one game out of five.
The Oilers won their ninth title on 25 October 2023, following a 4-2 series win over the KIU Titans. The following month, they qualified for their second consecutive BAL season when they defeated Dynamo in the Road to BAL semi-finals on 25 November 2023.
In December 2023, Mandy Juruni decided to leave the club for an opportunity in Rwanda. As a response, the Oilers hired his assistant Andrew Tendo as the new head of the team.
Honours
National Basketball League Champions (10): 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022,Mister City Oilers! John Vianney Nsimbe (The Observer), 13 February 2020. Accessed 29 June 2021. 2023, 2024 FIBA Africa Zone 5 Club Championship
Champions (2): 2016, 2017
In international competition
In the FIBA Africa Clubs Champions FIBA Africa Clubs Champions Cup (1 appearance) 2009 – Ninth Place
In the Basketball Africa League The City Oilers have played in the Road to BAL four times, qualifying in 2023. and 2024. They won their first BAL game on May 5, 2023, beating Ferroviário da Beira 96-75. SeasonRoad to BALMain competitionCoach Result Qualified Result2021 5 4 Fourth Place colspan=3 Mandy Juruni2022 2 0 Elite 16 colspan=3 2023 6 2 146th in Nile Conference202441144th in Nile ConferenceKarim Nesba Total 13 6 1/3 2 8
NB The city oilers did not participate in the 2025 ROAD TO BAL /the recent 2026 cycle.The ugandna qualifiers representatives were instead handled by the teams like NAMWONGO BLAZER( The Nairobic City Thurder) Currently, the City Oilers focus on the domestic campaign in the NATIONAL BASKETBALL LEAGUE (BAL) where they recently finished second in the regular season standing
Players
Current roster
Notable players
Jimmy Enabu Kami Kabange Khaman Maluach Stanley Ocitti James Okello Stephen Omony Robinson Opong A'Darius Pegues
Head coaches
Mandy Juruni: (2012 – 2023) Andrew Tendo: (2024 – present) Karim Nesba: (2024 BAL season)
References
External links City Oilers at Afrobasket.com