Dar Es Salaam — KILIMANJARO Stars' quest to end fifteen-years wait for Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup silverware, will once again come against strong oppositions this year.

The draws and fixtures for this two-week tournament were announced in Kikwete Slams TFF IncompetenceNairobi this noon with Sudan, the only Cecafa member opting out.

The tournament is set to kick off on November 28, in Nairobi and Western Kenyan town of Mumias.

In the draw, the mainlanders have been slotted in group C alongside Uganda, Zanzibar and Burundi.

According to fixtures released today by the Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (Cecafa), Kilimanjaro Stars will kick off its campaign against the defending champions Uganda on day two of the regional championship in Mumias town, where the group C will be residing.

In its second match, Kili Stars will be up against their own brothers from the spicy Islands - Zanzibar Heroes on December 1, before winding up preliminary rounds against Burundi three days later.

It is more or less the similar team that Kilimanjaro Stars faced in the group stage of the previous edition in Uganda, apart from Burundi. The group is definitely tricky for Marcio Maximo's team.

The Brazilian, who has been under increasing pressure, following Taifa Stars poor run of shows in their recent tour of Egypt and Yemen, will be out to prove his critics wrong.

Maximo is aware that any slip up in the championships will mount more pressure on him, though he had already declared that he will not bow down from pressure, rather he will carry on with his professional duties.

To many, Uganda Cranes are the favourites to go past the group stage, coupled with their impressive record in the Africa's oldest soccer tournament. The Cranes have won record ten times.

Last year, Uganda beat Kilimanjaro Stars 2-1 in group stage. Zanzibar is also another side that has always proved a hard nut to crack for the mainland team. Though they lost 1-2 to their mainland counterparts last year, Zanzibar will remain a tough opponent.

Burundi is as well not a push over, as they will be fighting for their fair share in the regional supremacy.

Hosts Kenya lead Group A where they are joined by perennial guests Zambia, Ethiopia and Djibouti.

Group B has Cosafa champions Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Eritrea and Somalia. The two groups are based in Nairobi. Cecafa General Secretary Nicholas Musonye, said Kenya open the tournament against Zambia in a match he described as a 'cracker.'

"We are in for a wonderful tournament considering the presence on the two southern Africa teams," Musonye said.

Zambia participated in the past two tournaments, winning in Addis Ababa two years ago, but getting knocked out in the quarter finals of last year's tournament in Kampala. The Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup is the oldest international football tournament in Africa, with the first version of the event held in 1926.