The Speaker of Uganda’s Parliament, Rt. Hon. Anitah Among has issued a stern directive to State Minister of Sports, Hon. Peter Ogwang, urging him to ensure the delivery of the stadium within two weeks.
The call for swift action follows the confirmation by State Minister of Planning, Hon. Amos Lugoloobi, that the remaining 17 billion Ugandan shillings needed for the project had been disbursed to the Ministry of Education and Sports.
Minister Ogwang then announced plans to convene a meeting to strategize the roadmap for the stadium’s completion.
Addressing the urgency of the situation, Speaker Among asserted, “One of my Commissioners will be part of that meeting. Hon. Mpuuga will be at that meeting and he will give me a report.”
She emphasized the importance of using the Confederation of African Football (CAF) report as a guiding document during the site visit and subsequent discussions.
Earlier, Speaker Among had exerted pressure on the Ministry of Finance to release the outstanding balance for the Mandela National Stadium renovation project. Expressing frustration over the lack of response to multiple letters from First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Museveni, Speaker Among demanded immediate action, stating, “What we want is the money and evidence of the trigger.”
The renovation of Namboole Stadium, undertaken by the engineering brigade of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) since 2019, has faced numerous setbacks, including funding delays.
Despite Minister Ogwang’s assurance of 100% completion by June 1, 2024, concerns linger over the stadium’s readiness to host World Cup qualifiers against Botswana and Algeria scheduled for June 3rd and 10th, 2024.
