Netball Elections Set for October Amid Controversy

Moses Mwase’s interview:

The Normalisation Committee overseeing netball in Uganda has confirmed that elections for a new board will take place before the end of October.

This announcement follows the withdrawal of the Uganda Netball Federation’s (UNF) certificate by the National Council of Sports (NCS), which led to the committee being appointed to manage the sport.

In addition to the elections, a new draft constitution is scheduled for adoption at a General Assembly on Saturday, September 21, in Lugogo.

Moses Mwase, Chairman of the Normalisation Committee, emphasized the importance of the elections being conducted under the new constitution to ensure a smooth transition and establish a solid foundation for the future of netball in Uganda.

However, the announcement has not been without controversy.

A group of netball stakeholders recently petitioned World Netball, alleging that the Normalisation Committee had failed to fulfill its mandate.

The petitioners voiced concerns about disruptions to netball’s governance and questioned Mwase’s proposal to change the Federation’s name to ‘Uganda Netball’ and introduce a new logo.

They argued that such changes could undermine the Federation’s identity and credibility.

Mwase defended the proposed changes, explaining that the current name and branding of the Uganda Netball Federation are perceived as tainted.

According to Mwase, the new name follows international trends, mirroring organizations like Netball Australia, Netball New Zealand, England Netball, and Netball South Africa.

He added that the rebranding is subject to debate and vote at the upcoming Special General Meeting.

The Normalisation Committee was appointed by World Netball to manage the day-to-day operations of the Uganda Netball Federation after NCS withdrew its certificate in November over issues of accountability and governance.

The committee’s mandate includes overseeing the transition until a new board is elected.