Government renews hope for Akii-Bua stadium construction

The Minister of State for Sports, Denis Hamson Obua has said government is in its final stage to secure two consultants for the construction of Akii-Bua Olympic Stadium.

President Yoweri Museveni, last year, pledged to construct an international sporting facility in Lira District in memory of the country’s first Olympic gold medalist John Akii-Bua.

Since then, the construction of the modern stadia has been taking different twists, raising concern on when the actual construction would start.

Obua explained that under the public procurement processes of Uganda, consultants will do a detailed feasibility study that includes environmental and social impact assessment will first have to be procured.

“I want to confirm that the ministry is in the final stages of procuring two consultants because the government of Uganda through the president lobbied a grant from the People’s Republic of China and the two stadia will be constructed by a grant from the People’s Republic of China,” he said.

In February 2016, Sam Odongo, the assistant commissioner of sports at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, received the site from Lira District administration on behalf of the government on February 12, 2016.

Preliminary work
Accordingly, the government in the following year allocated more than Shs600m for the preliminary work. The government spent millions of shillings in the implementation of preliminary project work on the 18-acre ‘controversial’ territory in Erute Parish, Central Division in Lira Municipality.

And indeed, the line ministry then built a VIP latrine and a pavilion at the site as government in Kampala continues sourcing for the funds needed to implement such a multi-billion project.

But, even before the government could declare its inability to raise the money for the construction, the Lira District leadership decided to offer the land to Lango Province, a local football team, to develop it.

At least $125m (an estimated Shs459b) is needed for the construction of the facility which would have an international aquatic centre, indoor gymnasium, stadium, training field, and hotel.

Currently, the team has constructed a perimeter wall surrounding the latrine and the pavilion initially built by the government.
Oremo Alot, the then Lira District chairman, believes his administration is on right track.

Land ownership
“I want to reaffirm that this field (proposed Akii-Bua Stadium land) belongs to Lango Province,” he said while handing over the site to the local football team last year.

Geoffrey Omara, the chairman of Lango Province, said they developed the Erute land because the Federation for Uganda Football Associations (Fufa) had recommended that they should find an alternative playground covered with grass.
“We had to get an alternative playground with standard requirements including grass, a perimeter wall, and an inner perimeter chain fence to guard the pitch,” he said.

“That is why we came up with this initiative to consult Lira District authority and indeed they gave us part of the Akii-Bua Stadium land where we constructed a perimeter wall fence and improved on the playground.”
Currently, the site has a football pitch constructed by well-wishers and business community across Lango Sub-region as it waits to be redeveloped by the government.

Rogers Byamukama, the chairman of Fufa Drum organising committee, told local leaders in Lira District not to just sit and wait for the government to construct for them a fully fledged stadium. “Sometimes it is very unfair for us to wait for the government to do for us everything, they don’t have the heart and desire for football like we do. Sometimes we need to get out of ourselves and do something for ourselves,” he said while inspecting the site on August 2, 2019.

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