Parliament hands bus to She Cranes
The Speaker Rebecca Kadaga, members of parliament and the She cranes team pose for a group photo after being handed the bus. PHOTOS BY PARLIAMENT PRESS TEAM
What you need to know:
- Uganda finished with 10 points after winning all the five matches, while Malawi who are ranked sixth by the International Netball Federation (INF) came second.
- The She Cranes will face England in their international friendly game in January next year as they prepare to play in the Commonwealth Cup.
Parliament has handed over a 26-sitter bus to the Uganda National Netball team, the She Cranes meant to facilitate their travel.
In July, Members of Parliament resolved to contribute Shs500,000 each for the She Cranes team which emerged winner of the 2017 Africa Netball Championships hosted in Kampala.
In honour of the team, Parliament provided Shs222 million of which Shs112 million was used to purchase the Isuzu bus while the balance of Shs110 million is to be shared between the 15 players and seven members of the technical team.
The Bus, registration number UBB 386H, is a used Isuzu NKR model bought from Minhas Uganda Motors in Kampala. It contains a coffee machine, fridge, adjustable seats and a meeting area.
The Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga, who handed over the bus to the Federation of Ugandan Netball Association (FUNA) officials and the players, stated that Parliament has fully serviced the vehicle and is ready to go on board. She said Parliament is committed to supporting the She Cranes and asked the team to play even much better.
FUNA President Suzan Ongom said the biggest challenge of transportation has been overcome. She says however their biggest challenge now is sponsorship for international events.
Florence Nanyonga, a She Cranes player says they used to suffer on boda bodas going for games and in some cases use taxis but now this has come at the right time.
Former She Cranes coach Fred Mugerwa says there should be a deliberate move by the government to appreciate players in terms of their professional careers. He says whereas players now have a bus, they still need financial support.
The She Cranes are now ranked 4th in the world after winning this year's tournament coming from 13th position. The She Cranes beat Zambia 67-50 in their last match of the Africa Netball Championship on Thursday night at the MTN Arena in Kampala.
Uganda finished with 10 points after winning all the five matches, while Malawi who are ranked sixth by the International Netball Federation (INF) came second.
The She Cranes will face England in their international friendly game in January next year as they prepare to play in the Commonwealth Cup.
