The recent decision by Parliament to allocate sports funds directly to National Sports Federations (NFs) in Uganda is a welcome development.
This move has helped to address one of the major points of disagreement in the sports sector, and it is already starting to have a positive impact.
However, there are still some challenges that need to be addressed. One concern is that some NFs are receiving abnormally low amounts of funding, while others (Boxing and Netball) have been downgraded from higher funding levels without any clear criteria.
Incapacitated National Council of Sports
Additionally, the National Council of Sports (NCS) is not receiving any funding to help NFs that may need more than their allocation or that may fall into urgent financial needs.
NCS is the mother sports body in Uganda, and it plays a vital role in supporting NFs and promoting sports development across the country. Without adequate funding, NCS will not be able to effectively fulfill its mandate.
Another very disturbing matter I can share here is the new Sports Act which requires all NFs to be in no less than 50% of all the 135 districts of Uganda by September 2024 or else they are de-registered.
Our NFs require funding to fulfill this requirement of the new Law. For some like Swimming where a Pool costs no less than 100 million Ugx to construct, one swimming pool in each of the 70 districts means they require 7 billion Ugx to fullfil this requirement.
Such funds do not exist anywhere in the Sports budget allocation and could have been resident at NCS.
What can be done?
It is important to develop a proper and known criteria for both appropriating sports funds and demarcating which NF qualifies for which funding amount.
This will help to ensure that all NFs are treated fairly and that funding is allocated in a way that maximizes its impact on sports development in Uganda.
In order to address the challenges mentioned above, I propose that Parliament allocate no less than 20 billion Ugx to NCS annually, separately from the NF allocations.
This will give NCS the resources it needs to support NFs and promote sports development in a more effective and efficient way.
The Writer, Jjagwe Robert, is the President of the Uganda Table Tennis Association (UTTA) and Secretary General of the Union of Uganda Sports Federations and Associations (UUSFA)
Courtesy Photos
