Uganda's Godefrey Walusimbi (right) takes on Mengistu Assefa of Ethiopia
Uganda started the defence of their Cecafa Cup title by beating Ethiopia 2-1 in a Group C on Monday.
The Cranes were stunned after just two minutes when Shemles Bekele put the Ethiopians in the lead.
But the Ugandans fought back to snatch the equaliser in the 33rd minute through Simeon Massa.
Henry Kisseka scored the winner for the defending champions just after the break as Ethiopia threatened to pull a surprise with late counter attacks.
Meanwhile, Malawi, who are one of the guests in the tournament, beat Kenya 3-2 in the group's other game.
Victor Nyirenda shocked the Kenyans when he put the Flames in the lead in the fifth minute.
The side now coached by Kinah Phiri, a veteran of the tournament, doubled their lead in the 26th minute thanks to a David Banda strike.
But the Hamrambee Stars rallied and restored parity before the break with goals from John Baraza and Fred Ajwang.
Banda broke Kenyan hearts when he struck the winner with a long range effort with only eight minutes remaining.
"We showed character in getting up from 0-2 but I must say our usually strong area, the defence let down today," said the Kenya coach Jacob Mulee.
"But I must say I admired Malawi's third goal, even if it was taken against us," he added.
Despite the victory Malawi coach Phiri was disappointed with the way his side defended their two-goal in the first half.
"We shall definitely be a changed side in our next matches," Phiri said.
Two matches will be played on Tuesday with Zambia taking on Burundi before hosts play Somalia.
The 12 teams have been put into three groups of four, with the top two sides in each pool qualifying for the quarter-finals, along with the two best third-place finishers.
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