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Uhuru time-barred to embrace new law

Uhuru speaks to the media. PHOTO/ABDUL-NASSER SSEMUGABI 

What you need to know:

Uhuru’s first four-year term as UPBC president expired March 2022, but he has stretched his tenure even without elections.

Salim Uhuru has one foot outside the door of Uganda Professional Boxing Commission (UPBC) leadership but feels compelled to realign it before it enters a forced marriage with the amateur body, as required by new sports law.

Uhuru’s first four-year term as UPBC president expired March 2022, but he has stretched his tenure even without elections.

However, the Kampala Central Division Mayor said he wants to quit boxing and focus on his political career, but vowed to first shake up and realign his executive and prepare it for the merger with the Uganda Boxing Federation (UBF)—an inevitable future demanded by the 2023 Sports Act.

Article 7 (2) of the new law stipulates that: “There shall be registered only one national sports association or national sports federation for a sports discipline.”

To most sports disciplines, this is the norm that trickles down from their respective international governing bodies. But for boxing, where amateur and professional are handled by parallel bodies, it’s such a dilemma.

What’s more, UPBC is affiliated to countless international bodies like the World Boxing Council, International Boxing Federation, World Boxing Federation, among others, which makes unity at the national level more complex. At least for now.

“You know I am president illegally. My term expired a long time ago and I must sort this anomaly as soon as possible,” Uhuru said after a stakeholders meeting that sought to decipher the transition demanded by the new law at the New Obligato on Saturday.

“Within two weeks we shall have an interim committee and in a month we shall have an AGM to sort the whole matter.”

But Uhuru is leading a divided house, with some of his subordinates labelled traitors and self-seekers after attending the UBF consultative meeting on January 9 without the blessing of their boss.

Maureen Mulangira, the UPBC treasurer defended her decision to attend the UBF meet by warning: “If we continue bickering and fail to comply with law, boxing shall be banned. And it’s the boxers who’ll lose the most.”

Kickboxing is already a victim, with its certificate revoked by NCS amid administrative wrangles.

Amateur boxing too faced a similar conundrum about 14 years ago, missing the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games and the London 2012 Olympics.

“Today, the lawyers have helped us interpret the law better. I have no problem uniting boxing under one body. But our friends [UBF] have been spreading false news that they have taken over professional boxing in Uganda,” Uhuru said.

But he is also on borrowed time because the Act is only awaiting the Statutory Instruments by the sports minister very soon to become operational.

“We must engage the National Council of Sports again for a way forward on who will do what.”

Joshua Benjamin Sewankambo, a lawyer and member of 12 Rounds Sports Primotions, said the better option is for UPBC and UBF to merge into a federation, not an association.

Currently, UBF is the only registered body for boxing. And the new Act shall recognise them as long as they comply with all its provisions. 

Over 100 boxers, coaches, managers, fans attended the Obligato meeting convened by Baltic Pro Box chairman Eddie Bazira.  

Uhuru aimed a jab at UBF president Moses Muhangi. “We question the spirit of our friends who hosted such a meeting without inviting UPBC,” Uhuru said.

“But today, the stakeholders have come in big numbers, not because of Salim Uhuru but because they love boxing.”

He promised: “Now I must ensure that the boxers are winning, then I’ll retire in peace.”

Uhuru ruled out the possibility of becoming the first president of a united boxing federation.

“Honestly, even if I had a chance, my plate is full. And I am not the only one capable. I am eyeing about six political positions, so for boxing let me give someone else a chance.”