State Minister for Sports, Peter Ogwang, has responded to mounting concerns regarding the delayed completion of the Mandela National Stadium, Namboole Stadium, amidst revelations of inadequate renovations.
The issue came to light after Speaker Anita Among tasked the Minister to provide accountability for the staggering Shs97 billion allocated for the stadium’s refurbishment.
Recent inspection reports by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) have indicated that the ongoing renovations carried out by the UPDF Engineering brigade fall short of the required standards.
The directive from Speaker Among followed a complaint raised by John Nambeshe, the Opposition Chief Whip, who expressed disappointment over Minister Ogwang’s failure to fulfill pledges concerning the stadium’s construction.
In response, Minister Ogwang clarified the financial aspects, stating that out of the allocated Shs97 billion, only Shs80 billion had been disbursed for the renovations, with the UPDF undertaking works equivalent to that amount.
He emphasized the necessity of additional financing to complete the project in line with CAF guidelines, highlighting impediments associated with the remaining balance of Shs17 billion.
“We did ask for additional financing for the purpose of completing the stadium because you are aware that CAF has carried out two inspections for this facility under our request as Government,” Ogwang noted.
“Why? We wanted to confirm to CAF that the renovation works taking place at the stadium are in line with CAF guidelines. I want to confirm that CAF did identify some of the impediments which were affecting the completion of the project.”
“Those impediments are inline with the balance of money which we expected from the Ministry of Finance to have released to the Ministry of Education which would have been transferred to the Contactor.”
Minister Ogwang attributed the delay to the Ministry of Finance’s failure to release the outstanding funds required to finalize the renovations.
He pointed out that despite repeated reminders from the First Lady, who emphasized the government’s commitment to funding the project, the Ministry of Finance has yet to release the necessary balance.
Minister Ogwang stressed that the primary issue lies with the Ministry of Finance’s failure to disburse the allocated funds, absolving himself and the Ministry of Education of responsibility for the delay in completing the stadium renovations.
The unresolved financial shortfall has cast uncertainty over the timeline for completing the renovations, raising questions about Uganda’s readiness to host the two World Cup qualifiers against Botswana and Algeria in June at the Namboole Stadium.
