The East African Crude Oil Pipeline Company (EACOP) Ltd has committed 2 billion Shillings towards the construction of a modern multi-purpose sports stadium in Buganda Kingdom’s Buddu County, in a move aimed at boosting sports development and leaving a lasting community legacy in the region.
The investment forms part of EACOP’s wider community legacy programme, which seeks to support socio-economic development in areas along the East African Crude Oil Pipeline route.
Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, EACOP Deputy Managing Director John Bosco Habumugisha described the stadium as a long-term investment that will continue benefiting communities long after the pipeline project is completed.
The Kingdom has provided 10 acres of land adjacent to the Buddu County headquarters in Masaka City for the sports complex. The facility will serve residents of the five districts that make up Buddu County: Masaka, Lwengo, Bukomansimbi, Kalungu and Kyotera.
Habumugisha said the project is also intended to strengthen relations with host communities and improve public understanding of the EACOP project, which has faced opposition partly driven by misconceptions about its environmental and social impacts.
Katikkiro Charles Peter Mayiga welcomed the project, saying it complements the Kingdom’s strategy of nurturing youth talent through sports. He, however, urged the government to ensure that communities hosting natural resource projects directly benefit from the revenues generated, arguing that this would increase public support for such investments.
Buganda Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs Robert Sserwanga said the stadium will help address the shortage of sports infrastructure that has long constrained talent development across the Kingdom.
He noted that Buganda is broadening its sports development agenda beyond traditional disciplines such as football and netball by promoting a wider range of sporting activities. Sserwanga added that the Buddu stadium is expected to serve as a model for similar facilities planned in the Kingdom’s remaining 17 counties.
Buddu County Chief Jude Muleke said the facility will also solve the long-standing challenge of inadequate venues for hosting the annual Masaza Cup tournament. Once completed, the 10,000-seat sports complex will feature a football pitch, athletics track, netball courts, a hard court, an indoor arena, a standard swimming pool and a tennis court.
Meanwhile, Godfrey Ogwang, the Commissioner for Midstream Petroleum Activities at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, encouraged residents of the Greater Masaka sub-region to prepare to benefit from the business and employment opportunities expected to arise from the East African Crude Oil Pipeline project-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
