Erias Lukwago: As a football lover I feel terribly insulted every time I get tagged into praise singers' gibberish about this stunted Tennis Court, formerly the monumental Nakivubo War Memorial stadium.
Recently, Uganda got a bid to host the AFCON2027, Hamis Kiggundu was on the moon celebrating and claiming that Nakivubo had been approved to Host the Games.
"Nga bwebagamba atanayitayita yatenda nyina okufumba, otherwise this is a 19th-century football pitch compared to the African state-of-the-art stadiums like Abdullaye Wade stadium in Senegal, Mamelodi Sundwons' Mossape stadium in South Africa, etc. It's equally an insult to the intellect of Ugandans for one to claim that construction of this 3-minute-walk Ham business complex (read stadium) will cost US$200BN (close to UgX 8Trillion), moreover on land acquired gratis" - Lukwago.
Lukwago made the radical statements while addressing the press at Katonga in Kampala.
"It's highly probable that even Lawrence Mulindwa's Kitende Stadium will surpass the standard of the Ham Mall enclosed playground. Maybe it's intended to host localised inter-arcade as opposed to the national league or international or CAF competitions" said Lukwago.
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According to Federation International, the Football Association has revealed that the newly constructed Nakivubo stadium will not qualify to host AFCON and CHAN qualifiers or any international-related fixtures.
According to FIFA officials, Nakivubo Stadium is eligible to host the Uganda Cup, Uganda Premier League, School / University games, and other local sports.
Fifa says that Nakivubo is not on international standards to host any international sports games.
Fifa this morning wrote to Fufa president Mr Magogo Hashim about the new requirement of the stadium to be able to host international matches.
After receiving the communication Magogo rushed to his Twitter account to show his frustration after learning that as of now Uganda has no stadium with the standard requirements needed by Fifa.
Ugandans have been having the hope of enjoying the beautiful game at the Memorial Nakivubo stadium but according to the research Nakivubo's measurements are not up to standard and the environment doesn't at all favor international events taking place.
Among the inconveniences seen is the shops surrounding the stadium which will bring jam and the parking space to be small.
It's this that made Fufa president to alarm the Government to help intervene in the situation.
According to the new guidelines the emergency stadium of St Mary's doesn't also qualify to host any international game for the national team which leaves Uganda with no option but to run to the neighbouring countries for help.
Nakivubo Stadium is under construction by businessman Hamis Kuggundu, commonly known as Ham.
Kiggundu applied to develop Nakivubo Stadium three years ago and promised to deliver the work in two years but according to reports, the stadium is not yet even 75% to complete.
Recently, City Tycoon Hamis Kiggundu pinned Ugandans for being unduly negative, which he says has partly clamped the redevelopment of the Nakivubo War Memorial Stadium.
Seven years after its closure in 2015, work on the much-awaited 35000 capacity Stadium is said to be at 75% completion amidst numerous challenges as mentioned by Hamis Kiggundu.
The project was announced in 2017 as a collaboration between the Government of Uganda and Ham Enterprises however, due to several impediments including the COVID-19 pandemic, the construction work on the stadium has been at a snail’s pace.
Kiggundu in an interview acknowledged the delay in completing the historic stadium but says work is underway to have the facility finished.
“…at this level, the stadium is self-evident. We have plans to fully enclose the stadium in the future, but as for now we have erected advertising boards to bar spectators from watching outside the stadium.”
“I have met many challenges with this project but above all, Ugandans are too negative. If only we could find a way of eradicating that mindset.
“In many cases, we fail to take the responsibility to develop ourselves and the nation as well, then resort to pulling down those who take on the attempt to put up sustainable developments.”
“COVID-19 was also a major setback, delaying us by almost three years, denting our cash flow, in addition to raising the cost of production.”
The initial plan indicated Forty-Nine million dollars as the money to be spent on the project, but according to Hamis, the sum could have tripled as he expects to spend not less than 150 million dollars until completion.
“Because of the rise in the cost of production, for a stadium, I estimated to spend around 50 million dollars, I could end up spending around 150 million because of the price increase of construction material.”
The business mogul believes this project when done will be a fitting foundation for other Ugandans to undertake on the path to developing their country, and not fancy traveling overseas to experience advancement
Established on the 01st of April in 1926, the Nakivubo stadium was christened “War Memorial” after it was remodeled by the British government in 1954, in remembrance of the Ugandans who lost their lives in the Second World War.
Ugandan Billionaire Hamis Kiggundu dreams of transforming it into a world-class stadium in the heart of the capital city -Kampala-.
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