The State Minister for Sports, Peter Ogwang has assured Parliament that the construction of the Aki-Bua Olympic Stadium in Lira district is still on course.
His statement came after concerns were raised regarding the last-minute cancellation of the contract signing between the government and the Egyptian contractor, SAMCO National Construction Company, at State House.
On Thursday, Ogwang clarified that the signing ceremony was postponed based on the Ministry of Finance's recommendation to further discuss the financing model, further emphasising that this does not indicate that the construction will not take place.
The government allocated Shs100 billion this year for the construction of the Aki-Bua stadium, which, once completed, will be one of three venues for the AFCON 2027, co-hosted by Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania.
However, on Thursday, Members of Parliament from Lango sub-region who included Kwania County MP, Tony Ayoo, expressed concerns about the project's future after being invited to the signing ceremony, only to find themselves unable to enter State House.
In response to the MPs' concerns, the Speaker of Parliament Anita Among instructed Minister Ogwang to clarify whether the contract had indeed been canceled.
"Tony Ayoo came to my office and intimated that they had been invited to State House to witness the signing of the contract for the construction of Aki-Bua Stadium between the contractor and Government and when we were budgeting this financial year, we gave Government Shs100Bn," Among said.
"To his surprise, they stopped at the gate, they did the COVID-19 test, some people came all the way from Lira to witness the signing, they didn't witness the signing. So the question they are asking, what could have happened? Has the contract been cancelled, where is the money?" the Speaker questioned questioned.
In response, Ogwang acknowledged that he had invited colleagues to the signing ceremony but attributed the last-minute cancellation to a change in plans by the Finance Ministry.
"As National Council of Sports, we undertook the due process of procurement and securing the contractor, however, I got a call at the last minute from Ministry of Finance asking me to hold on, and allow them conclude on the financing model of this project," he said.
He asserted that the Ministry of Sports is still committed to completing the stadium within 20 months, but the funds provided by the Finance Ministry at the moment were not sufficient for its completion.
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"I heeded to the Ministry of Finance and allowed them to have negotiations with the contractor in terms of financing and completion of this project within 20 months, and they have promised to get back to me in a week's time," Ogwang said.
"What Finance is doing entirely is seek for additional ways of getting resources so that when we begin the work, we have a smooth flow for the total completion of the project," he added.
The Aki-Bua Stadium is a significant project that President Museveni promised in 2010 to develop the Lango sub-region.
Named after Uganda's first Olympic champion, Aki-Bua, the stadium was rated as the second most suitable venue for hosting AFCON 2027, following Namboole Stadium, in a technical assessment.
It is also anticipated to enhance tourism and sports in the Lango sub-county.
