President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni hailed the progress at the Hoima City stadium five months after its construction began as the country gears to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations alongside Kenya and Tanzania.
The stadium is one of those earmarked to host the tournament and has seen viable progress with Turkish company MS SUMMA promising to deliver it six months earlier than he scheduled time.
Presiding over the unveiling of the foundation stone, Museveni hailed MS SUMMA for the work done so far and promised more sports infrastructure.
“At first, we didn’t give sports priority because the economy was in a bad state and we had to prioritize basic sectors like health, education and the like,” said Museveni.
“This SUMMA seems to be a serious company, considering how much they have accomplished in a short period of time. I would like to congratulate them,” said the President, who confirmed that the Turks would embark on the second phase of the construction of Namboole Stadium, once they had wrapped up in Hoima.
Museveni alongside First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports Janet Kataha Museveni also reacted to City Mayor Brian Kaboyo’s pleas to the government for construction of access roads to the stadium, the required standard Four- and Five-Star Hotels in order to host a tournament of Afcon’s magnitude and upgrading of Hoima referral Hospital by urging
Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja to raise matters regarding the facilitation of building of new hotels in Hoima City, as well as boosting emergency health services and roads, in Cabinet next Monday.
Mayor Kaboyo revealed that his city currently had only 1700 beds or thereabouts, but would need around 20,000 beds to accommodate the projected influx of visitors for the AFCON tournament in 2027.
The President was confident the gap would be filled, citing the success story of the 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) as a result of which the number of hotel beds in host city Kampala had grown from around 4000 prior-to, to upwards of 20000 during and after.
As per the plan confirmed by Ms SUMMA and the Minister of State for Sports, Hon. Peter Ogwang, the 20,000-seater main stadium and it’s running track, along with a 2000-seater mini-indoor arena, a 25-metre swimming pool, outdoor courts for basketball, volleyball, netball and the like, as well as another training pitch and a parking lot to accommodate more than 1000 cars will be handed over in December this year.
In the words of Turkey’s ambassador to Uganda, H.E Mehmet Fatih, who was in attendance, SUMMA were to deliver not just a stadium but a dream for the millions of youths in Uganda, and an attraction for thousands of visitors and investors.
Meanwhile, Museveni reminded the people of Bunyoro that they should be thankful for the ‘manna from heaven” that dropped on the region in regards to the stadium as originally, the project was meant for Lira.
“Because we wanted to celebrate Akii-Bua for winning gold in Munich in 1972, the plan for this stadium was meant to be Lira but after consultation with football people, they advised that it must be where there is an international airport and that is how you people got this,” he smiled as the few locals applauded.
Dr. Patrick Ogwel, the National Council of Sports General Secretary couldn’t be happier stating that with completion of the project, Uganda will be able to host lots of international competitions.
“I want to thank the government and especially the Ministry of Education and Sports, the Ministry of Finance and all stakeholders for this,” he stated. “When finished, we shall be able to host a lot of international sports tournaments and not just football,” he added in the presence of several representatives from the different sports federations.
The ceremony was attended by among others, the Vice President of Uganda, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, the Government Chip Whip, other Ministers, Members of Parliament, the area political, administrative and religious leadership, officials from the Ministry of Education and Sports, Ministry of Works and Transport, other government MDAs, representatives from some of the intended beneficiary Sports Federations and Associations, as well as a team from hosts NCS led by Chairperson Ambrose Tashobya and General Secretary Dr Bernard Patrick Ogwel, as well as the Rujumba family which first donated the land (10 acres) to FUFA.
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