The curtains are indeed being drawn on the multitude of sports federations that have called Lugogo Sports Complex home.
For long, sports lovers have called on the powers that be to do something about the state of the MTN Lugogo Arena, and it looks like the President has listened.
President Museveni confirmed a partnership with Summa, a Turkish construction company, to build a state-of-the-art 15,000-seater multipurpose indoor sports complex at Lugogo in Kampala.
This plan bodes well with the Kampala road network rehabilitation, who have designed a route to eat up a chunk of the Lugogo Cricket Oval. Cricket lovers must now look to Jinja, Entebbe, and Kyambogo among others for some wicket action.
In addition, the same space will have the newly suggested state-of-the-art multipurpose sports complex by Summa.
It is time for these sports federations to use the money received from the government and other partners to secure responsible and presentable offices.
The NationalCouncil of Sports (NCS) will also have to move, seeing as their current location, by present artistic designs, will inhabit the parking area stretching to where the current indoor courts are.
It is time to move on from Lugogo for various sports federation offices, following the example set by football in obtaining FUFA House in Mengo and netball’s move to Old Kampala on the Aga Khan Building.
It is the time to stop living like peasants and put the money to good use, lest we keep looking like beggars next to the Arena that Summa will erect.
The Uganda Rugby Union has been inhabiting a Rwenzori water bottle store and has often taken their essential discussions and meetings to Kyadondo Rugby Club.
It is safe to say Kyadondo saw these meetings increase, so they secured the structures at the back.
The Uganda Cricket Association, after all the music festivals and prayer sessions they have allowed to happen at the oval, can only manage a 20ft by 40ft container office.
That’s just pathetic. Maybe the reallocation of the Lugogo land mass is a good thing because they can wake up and work for the sport to have an independent home and respectable offices.
FUBA and FMU are vertical neighbours, but the ceiling will be caving in any time from now, and we shall be rushing to the Emergency Room to ensure our sports leaders are fine.
To add salt to injury, the Volleyball Federation and Boxing Federation are hallway buddies.
These federations have all indicated Lugogo Sports Complex as their physical location just to hide behind the magnanimous existence of the Arena. Well, this is most definitely about to change.
Courtesy Photos
