By KT Reporter
Government has entered into a $129 million agreement with Egypt’s SAMCO National Construction Company to construct the Akii-Bua Olympic Stadium in Lira City. The stadium, with a seating capacity of 20,000, is named after Uganda’s iconic Olympic gold medalist, John Akii-Bua.
The contract signing ceremony took place at State House Nakasero, presided over by the Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Museveni. Muhammad Bbaale, the Accounting Officer for the National Council of Sports (NCS), signed on behalf of the government, while Engineer Ibrahim Abdelaziz Mahmoud Mabrouk represented the Egyptian construction firm.
According to Peter Ogwang, the state Minister for sports, the stadium will feature a range of facilities, including a main stadium with an athletics track, two training fields with changing rooms, a 2,000-seat indoor multi-sport arena, and a 25-meter semi-Olympic swimming pool. Outdoor courts for basketball, netball, volleyball, and badminton, along with parking for 1,000 vehicles, are also part of the design.
Additional infrastructure will include roads, utilities, a sewerage treatment plant, ICT systems, perimeter fencing, and security installations. A clubhouse, a 60-room hostel, five sports pitches, and a borehole to reduce water costs will further enhance the site.
This marks Uganda’s second major stadium project in recent months. In June, the Ministry of Education and Sports contracted M/S SUMMA, a Turkish company, to construct the 20,000-seat Hoima Multi-Purpose Stadium.
Besides Hoima stadium, the government, also in May this year, entered an MOU with Kyambogo University to transform one of its football pitches into a modern training facility for the upcoming African Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2027.
The 14.3-billion-shilling project under the UPDF Engineering Brigade is one of the nine training venues developed for the continental tournament. The facility will feature natural grass, a standard irrigation system, and floodlights to allow teams to train at night.
Currently, Uganda has only one CAF-approved stadium, the Mandela National Stadium (Namboole) which is expected to be used for the upcoming Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) which will take place between 01 – 24 February 2025.
According to Ogwang, while there is only one said ready for use, he anticipates that by the beginning of the tournament, the country will have at least four training facilities ready for use.
“For purposes of CHAN, we are only going to use Namboole, and four additional training facilities, there are a few pitfalls, but we are working to ensure that by 1st February 2025, we will have all facilities ready for use,” Ogwang said
Meanwhile, this comes just a few weeks since the Confederation of African Football (CAF) concluded its second round of inspections in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania to evaluate preparations for CHAN and AFCON.
CAF recently awarded East Africa the right to host the 2025 CHAN tournament as a precursor to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). The event will serve as a benchmark for assessing the readiness of Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania to co-host AFCON in 2027.
CHAN, which began in 2009, is unique in that it features players who exclusively compete in their national leagues, distinguishing it from AFCON, which includes players from international leagues.
Stadium Features Breakdown;
A 20,000-seat main stadium with an athletics track.
Two training fields with changing rooms.
A 2,000-seat indoor multi-sport arena.
A 25-meter semi-Olympic swimming pool.
Outdoor courts for basketball, netball, volleyball, and badminton.
Parking facilities for 1,000 vehicles-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
