Alupo calls for compliance as Sports Act is urgently gazetted

Minister Alupo says it will not going to be business as usual after the sports act was gazetted on Friday. Photo BY EDDIE CHICCO

What you need to know:

Sports regulations. New Act outlaws Fufa Limited with immediate effect but they can apply afresh for registration with NCS. Their difference with other existing associations, however, is Fufa and Fufa Ltd are viewed as two different organisations.

KAMPALA.

The newly signed into law Sports Act is now fully operational after it was hastily gazetted by the Uganda Printing and Publishing Corporation (UPPC) in Entebbe on Friday.

Education and Sports Minister Jessica Alupo had assented to the statutory instrument on Wednesday and gazetting was expected to be done within 30 days. This was, however, treated with extra urgency. Sunday Monitor has a copy of the gazetted regulations.

The new National Council of Sports Regulations for Associations under the NCS Sports Act, Cap 48, outlaws national federations from incorporating as limited companies and bars members or officers of NCS from promoting the incorporation or registration of a national association.

Jasper Aligawesa, the NCS General Secretary, is one of the guarantors of the contested Fufa Ltd.

The registration of Fufa and Fufa Ltd has been an area of contention for some time now, first coming to light when Express sued Fufa for “not being properly and legally constituted under the National Council of Sports (NCS) Act on 1964” over five years ago.

According to the new act, Fufa Ltd, which the Mengo body say is not another federation but their business arm, is operating illegally today and in using “Uganda” in their acronym, they are breaking the new regulations.

The Act asks all existing national sports associations to apply afresh to the NCS for registration within six months from commencement of these regulations but trouble is Fufa and Fufa Ltd were ruled to be two different organisations in the Attorney and Solicitor Generals’ interpretations.

Asked whether Fufa will be allowed to just dissolve Fufa Ltd and transition to only one Fufa – the national association, Alupo said: “Not going to be business as usual. Next is we expect compliance from the footballing side. We shall also organise a seminar to make the new Act public.”

Fufa spokesperson Ahmed Hussein however said they are yet to receive the official gazetted document from the ministry.
“And until then we are constrained to make any official response. However, Fufa is one of the most compliant national sports associations in the country,” he told Sunday Monitor yesterday.
Last June, it emerged Cabinet had agreed to the disbandment of Fufa/Fufa Ltd after the Solicitor General and AG’s interpretation confirmed Fufa were wrong in registering a national association as a limited company but this never materialised. They also recommended that individuals responsible be held accountable.

SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE ACT
Incorporation and registration of national sports associations
• NCS shall not register a national association which is incorporated as a company
• The council shall not register more than one national sports association for one sport
• A sports association which is not recognised by the council shall not use or refer to itself using “Uganda.”
Governance of national associations
• For one to hold an executive office they must have participated in sports at school, district, regional, national or international level; or have been involved in administration/management of sport at a level recognised by the council
•A member of the council (NCS) or an officer shall not promote the incorporation or registration of a national association
Funding
•The council or ministry responsible for sports shall not fund or support an association not recognized by the council
• Every national association shall submit to the council annually a statement of all sources of funding, including donations and grants