Parliament want pledges made to athletes paid

Parliament has directed the Ministry of Education and Sports to compel all state authorities within the realm of sport to ensure that sanity is ploughed back in the sports fraternity as a means that will ensure Uganda reap heavier dividends in the sports sector.

Specific among the core thorny issues that lawmakers want the government to address is the need to have timely salaries paid to both athletes and their coaching staff in various sports disciplines in Uganda.

This was during the sitting chaired Speaker Anita Among in which special tribute was made to the national athletics team and the Uganda national netball team – She Cranes.

Hinged on two golds won by Joshua Cheptegei (10,000m) and Victor Kiplangat (marathon), Uganda finished third in Africa and 11th overall out of 46 countries at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

She Cranes were fifth at the 2023 Netball World Cup. The commendation to both teams was unanimous and bound the entire House. The athletics team watched proceedings from the gallery.

The Bugiri Municipality legislator, Asuman Basalirwa, demanded that parliament ensures that adequate funds are allocated to sports sector, timely financial releases are done and also demand that sports federations fully account for the funds allotted to them.

"I am glad that this parliament passed the sports law. It is going to go a long way in professionalizing the sports sector in this country. As Parliament, we can only service to this country by ensuring that we make the necessary appropriations. Once monies are available, the sports sector then we will have done our job as an institution,” Basalirwa said.

 “We should ensure that the monies are released in a timely manner, it does not make sense for us to appropriate money here and the minister for Finance releases money as and when he feels like, well knowing that sports has a calendar."

The Speaker, Anita Annet Among, made case for sports as a gamechanger for this country.

"If we don't take sports as a priority, then we are doomed. Minister, much as we are celebrating, what members are saying [that] these federations don't pay the athletes. Because the money is given to federations, we don't pay them direct. The federations must pay them and in time,” Among told the packed session.

She therefore directed all pledges made to past medal winners of Uganda be paid.

“We must have accountability by all the federations and all the sports persons must be paid by their federations. All the promises that have been made to all the athletes including (1972 Olympic gold medalist John) Akii Bua," Among said.

In an immediate response on the same, sports minister Ogwang faulted the minister of finance for not fully releasing funds as appropriated by parliament in the national budget.

"Team Uganda is meant to continue to participate in the East Africa Community (EAC) and All Africa Games. These activities are meant to take place in September, October but as far as I am concerned, the release we got was less by Shs10b. So, in the near future, I hope you don't hear that team Uganda has failed to go and represent the country in these various disciplines,” Ogwang retorted.

Adding that; “The budget is approved but the question I want to implore finance is that can they help us and give us the as per what was allocated for quarter one specifically."