We have so far ascertained that President Sarah Kityo Babirye was spreading misinformation about the registration withdrawal and was running a briefcase organisation, appointing family at will while kicking anyone who tried to oppose her motions to the curb.
But what went into the whole saga of withdrawal for the certificate of recognition? Did the NCS act out of spite? Was the reaction too harsh? Or were the UNF leaders just blind to the damage being done? So many questions, and thankfully, we have all the evidence to show you so you can come to the same conclusion that the NCS did.
Verified documents we have received show that President Babirye Kityo Sarah was copied in an invitation by the NCS, alongside other dignitaries with an attachment to the sport for a meeting on 20th October 2023, with the intention to withdraw the certificate of recognition as the main agenda.
During this meeting, the UNF was tasked with showing why the withdrawal wouldn’t be necessary and, in so doing, demonstrating the capability to run a clean operation.
Among other things, the NCS wanted to hear the side of NCS on why a court order barring Sarah Kityo Babirye, Ntale Daniel Kiseeka (Hon. Sarah Kityo Babirye’s husband) and the registered trustees of the Uganda Netball Federation was vacated on 18th March 2022 and carried out activities including and not limited to the amendment of the UNF constitution.
During the constitution amendment, the team shot themselves in the foot. The provisions for the alleged amended UNF constitution as adopted by the UNF took immediate effect, and owing to that, the AGM ought to have elected a President for the UNF, in line with the amended constitution, who would, in turn, appoint new members of the new executive committee of the UNF. This did not happen.
It goes without saying that governance was an underlying issue to be addressed in this meeting, as it left a lot to be desired. Of all the persons invited to this meeting, only Hon Sarah Kityo Babirye was absent.
In addition, there was scrutiny on funding sources for UNF expenditure and the fact that the UNF opened 6 bank accounts with Equity Bank – Mityana Branch that were never declared to the NCS.
It was also discovered that some documents from NCS to open these accounts were forged, including some with the signature of a member who left their post in December 2021.
The Uganda Netball Federation failed to respond adequately to the grounds raised, and neither did they adduce any evidence to rebut the issues raised.
Owing to this, the National Council of Sports, on Wednesday, 25th October 2023, withdrew the Certificate of Recognition from the Uganda Netball Federation immediately, citing persistent governance and leadership issues and the failure of the UNF to abide by Ugandan law and follow their own statutes.
The UNF had cut their own legs and were hoping to stand on nothing and be allowed to operate.
We have to applaud the NCS on how quickly they jumped in to try and salvage the situation, ask for accountability from the leadership, and put that house in order.
The rot is deeper than meets the eye, and we can’t wait to dig deeper.
