By AGENCY: The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has appointed an all-Kenyan team of match officials to handle the high-stakes CAF Champions League preliminary-round second leg between Sudanese powerhouses Al Hilal and Burundi’s Aigle Noir.
The tie is scheduled to take place at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali, Rwanda, on Saturday, September 12, with kick-off set for 6:00 PM.
Leading the crew is experienced center referee Dickens Mimisa Nyagrowa, who brings a proven track record on both the domestic and international stages.
Mimisa served as a Video Match Official (VMO) at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, was selected as a center referee for the 2025 African Nations Championship (CHAN), and featured among the 14 lead officials for the 2025 CAF U-20 AFCON in Egypt.
At home, he has routinely taken charge of the country’s biggest fixtures, including the iconic Mashemeji Derby between Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards, alongside high-profile regional clashes like Zanzibar’s Muungano Cup tie between Tanzanian giants Yanga and Simba.
Mimisa will be flanked on the sidelines by FIFA international assistant referee Samuel Kuria Mwangi, who has maintained his place on the international list since 2019 and featured at CHAN 2025, and Boniface Karanja Nduta, the reigning 2025-2026 FKF Premier League Assistant Referee of the Season.
Rounding out the officiating crew is fourth official Edwin Ouma Mangoli, a rising talent who recently earned his 2026 FIFA badge and completed the CAF New FIFA Referees Course in Cairo.
The Kigali encounter will mark Mangoli’s formal debut in a major continental assignment, while Rwanda’s Sekama Abdul will oversee the match as the appointed match commissioner.
