Govt urged on construction of regional stadiums

Members of Parliament have urged government to consider construction of football stadiums in every region to promote local sports across the country.

The MPs made this call during a friendly match against Nyakagabagaba Football Club held at Kamwezi playground in Kamwezi sub-county, Rukiga District.

The match which ended in a 1-1 draw and attracted thousands of spectators. A

Bugiri Municipality Member of Parliament, Asuman Basalirwa, emphasized that  talent cannot flourish if facilities remain in poor condition and if talented sportsmen and women are not adequately supported.

He noted that while Parliament has committed funds to develop Akii Bua Stadium in Lira District and Hoima City Stadium, every region requires a major stadium to elevate sports from the local to the national level.

He added that countries with advanced sports sectors have standardized facilities, and it is challenging to identify and nurture young talent if they risk injuries due to substandard pitches.

“In the budget which we have just passed, money was allocated to construction a stadium in Hoima even Akibua stadium in Lango sub-region but every sub-region needs a stadium. Countries that have developed in sports have invested massively in sports especially in infrastructure across even in some of African countries," Basalirwa noted.

“The facilities are very poor, the facilities cannot develop with unimproved facilities. I think when we come here and experience the condition of the facilities as legislators and as people involved in appropriation perhaps, we begin to plan broadly for the country. There is no way we are going to develop sports without improving infrastructures."

The legislator also highlighted the potential economic benefits of investing in sports, suggesting that talented individuals could earn substantial incomes from their skills.

Mbale Industrial City Division Member of Parliament, Karim Masaba, echoed the call for government investment in local sports to nurture and develop talent.

He mentioned that observations and reports from Rukiga will inform their discussions in Parliament.

“As a country we are still facing huge challenge that we have a lot of talented people out there. We fail as a country to identify this talent and we still fail to develop the facilities that we do have but recently government has taken up an initiatives . We have seen Namboole and as parliament we made sure that in this budget that was passed we allocate money for the construction of at least two new stadiums which is Akiibua stadium and the one in Hoima. Through such visits to different districts as 11th parliament we are helped much during our debates on the floor of parliament."

Roland Ndyomugyenyi MP Rukiga County noted that the visit of the 11th parliament to Rukiga district will not only promote physical fitness but also unite communities and offer opportunities for youth empowerment.

He added that sports in general have not been given due attention, pointing out that the government’s policy has not prioritized sports as a source of income and foreign exchange for the country.

“When it comes to the budget, sports  in general have not been given due attention and yet we can earn a lot of foreign exchange from them. but the government’s policy has not been to support sports at that level. We have seen athletes winning medals at international level but we have not seen government putting in money to ensure that we develop our sports."

The Deputy Managing Director of the National Water and Sewerage Corporation, Dr. Sylvia Tumuheirwe Alinaitwe, encouraged residents to embrace sports for health benefits and income generation.

The Minister of State for Defence and Veteran Affairs, Sarah Mateke Nyirabashitsi, stated that sports foster unity and friendship in society and urged players to aim for the national team.

She also asked leaders to extend the unity seen in sports to government programs for the benefit of all Ugandans.