Islam Ssemakula has completed a move to Romanian side Unirea DMO, signing from free agency after a spell without a club. The Uganda international centre-back joins the ACS Unirea DMO setup on a free transfer following his departure from Gloria Lunca-Teuz Cermei and a subsequent period listed as Without Club.
The transfer was finalised on 2026-02-02, with Ssemakula officially registered as a new Unirea DMO player from that date. No transfer fee was involved in the deal, and there is no publicly listed market value attached to the 28-year-old defender. Details of the contract length, including the end date of his agreement with Unirea DMO, have not been disclosed.
Ssemakula’s arrival gives Unirea DMO an experienced option at centre-back, with the Ugandan having already built up a varied career across multiple clubs and countries. Primarily a central defender, he is listed in his main position as a defender – centre-back, and slots into a Romanian setup he already knows from previous spells in the country.
Before joining Unirea DMO, Ssemakula was unattached after leaving Gloria Lunca-Teuz Cermei. His Romanian journey began when he moved from Somali club LLPP Jeenyo FC to Retezatul Hateg in early 2023. From there he switched to Gloria Lunca-Teuz Cermei in 2024, remaining in Romanian football before becoming a free agent later that year. Prior to his time in Somalia with LLPP Jeenyo FC, he had been registered simply under “Unknown”, reflecting a lack of documented club information earlier in his career.
The move confirms that Ssemakula continues his career abroad rather than in his home country Uganda, extending his stay in Romania rather than returning to domestic Ugandan football. While the league Unirea DMO compete in is listed without a specific name, the transfer keeps him in the Romanian system, adding another chapter to a career that has already taken him from East Africa to the Horn of Africa and then into Eastern Europe.
Born on 01 Jan 1998, Ssemakula is in what is typically considered a defender’s prime years, and Unirea DMO’s decision to recruit him from free agency reflects both his age profile and his familiarity with the Romanian game. Having moved between clubs without recorded transfer fees and without a published market valuation, his trajectory has been shaped more by opportunity and availability than by headline-grabbing sums.
With a confirmed contract now in place and his status as a free agent ended on 2026-02-02, Ssemakula’s focus turns to consolidating his place within Unirea DMO’s defensive unit. His performances in Romania with Retezatul Hateg and Gloria Lunca-Teuz Cermei earned him another chance in the country, and this latest move offers him the platform to stabilise his career, strengthen his reputation, and potentially attract future interest as he continues representing Ugandan football on foreign soil.
