Akii-Bua legacy to finally stand

Pomp and cheer greeted everyone at the site of Akii-Bua Olympic Stadium in Lira City on recently.

“The long awaited visitors,” one town dweller remarked when he noticed National Council of Sports (NCS) vans in the vicinity. NCS were there to hand over the site to Egyptian contractors Samco for the construction of a modern multi-purpose stadium, which is valued at $129m (about Shs490b) and is expected to be completed in 20 months.

When Minister of Health and Lira City Member of Parliament (MP) Jane Ruth Aceng arrived shortly after 11am, she was escorted by cheerleading women. When she later rose to speak, just like most of her colleagues from Parliament, every statement was punctuated with ululations.

Make no mistake, this was no political rally but the function to finally hand over the site to a contractor is seen as a political triumph not only in Lira but in the entire Lango province, which Aceng said has “over 2.6m people”. The function was punctuated by political undertones as politicians from the region stressed that it came after they preached the “No Akii-Bua, no votes” to the powers that be.

Chief guest and National Resistance Movement Chief Whip Denis Hamson Obua described his party as a promise keeper.

“From (rebel leader Alice) Lakwena, LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army war), cattle rustling, Lango is now settled. Lira and Apac have had districts created out of them thereby creating jobs. The journey of Akii-Bua has been long but it is now here,” Obua said before reading a joint speech from the absent First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports (MoE&S) Janet Museveni and her deputy Peter Ogwang.

“I think the votes will be there now. Good enough, the stadium construction ends around the time of the next election,” former MP and now presidential advisor on Lango Affairs Sam Engola said.

Kole North MP, Dr. Samuel Opio Acuti, described Lango as pregnant and NCS as the midwife that should ensure there is no miscarriage in the delivery of this project.

The history

The stadium project, according to another former MP Omara Atubo started as far back as 2009 when they tried to construct it at the airstrip but “Chinese partners told us the land was very small.” Former district Franco Ojur then handed them the current 18.455 hectare site to honour the son of the land John Akii-Bua, who won Uganda its first gold medal in the men’s 400m hurdles at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany.

“When we first tried to transfer the title of this land to NCS, it disappeared from the Ministry. There was a record that it had been transferred to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Sport but it was nowhere to be seen.

“I thought it was the work of the devil, sabotage,” Lira district chairperson Richard Okello Orik, said before commending NCS general secretary Bernard Patrick Ogwel, who was absent due to Africa Nations Championships (Chan 2024 due February 1-28) meetings at State House, for processing a special title for the land and ensuring its smooth transfer to the body, which is mandated by the law to take charge of all sports facilities on public land.

City Mayor Sam Atul urged government “to deliver this in time as you showed that you can and are a government of promise, with Karuma Bridge.”

NCS assistant general secretary (administration) Joseph Oluga thanked government for “appropriating this money” and also highlighted they chose Samco because they are trying to offer “African solutions to African problems”

Concerns

NCS board member Moses Omara Anyii represented chairman Ambrose Tashobya at the event and also stressed that they “have reached this far due to government commitment. And we expect cooperation with local leaders. The local people should also focus on identifying talent and developing it so that this does not become a white elephant after construction.

“The business community should also focus on addressing the lack of amenities that will make Akii-Bua function well. I was counting and you cannot get 5,000 beds in Lira. Our focus should shift to such,” Anyii said.

Aceng focused her speech on the contractors, in respect to the 2019 National Local Content Act which pushes for employment of local personnel and financing for such projects. She urged them “to give at least 80 percent of the work to the local people. And do not hire them just as casual labourers. The children of Lango who are engineers and surveyors should be part of this project.”

Samco’s Ahmed Abdulghelil said they come with experience in major construction projects even though this is their first stadium project and first time to come to Uganda.

“We have partners that have experience doing this. Initially we came as consultants in sports facility construction and proposed to pre-finance this project but the arrangement we now have with government is to split the financing 50-50.

“The people of Lango can be sure that they will be involved in this project and there will also be gender balance in distribution of jobs,” Abdulghelil said.

Meanwhile, Samco’s subcontractors like BashFame and HBR have already started the earth works as they await President Yoweri Museveni to grace the groundbreaking of the stadium’s construction.

Akii-Bua Olympic Stadium

-20,000 spectator stadium

-Football pitch with running track, two training pitches

-Mini 2000-seater indoor arena

-Multi-purpose court

-Tennis court

-Changing rooms

-25m swimming pool

-Children playground

-Hostel

-Clubhouse

-Five a side football playground