Members of Parliament from the Lango sub-region have expressed frustration over the delayed construction of the Akii-Bua Stadium in Lira City, following years of delays and a lost grant.
The MPs, during a parliamentary sitting on Thursday, demanded an explanation from the Ministry of Finance over the project financing, which was initially planned to be funded through a public-private partnership (PPP) model.
Jonathan Odur, the Erute South Member of Parliament, said there has been a lack of progress in the project, citing conflicting statements from government officials.
“I am now surprised to hear that we don’t have a contractor. By simple definition, a contractor is somebody you have contracted to do work. So, in the absence of a contract between the two parties, you cannot purport to say we have a contractor at hand,” Odur said during the Thursday sitting.
Odur added, “It means you are still undertaking processes to identify the person to execute the works. So if that is the position, then the government should be clear and say we have not yet reached the contracting stage, we don’t have a contractor. But also, the financing model we were told was that this stadium would be constructed in a public-private partnership.”
The stadium, which was projected to cost over $127 million (approximately Shs500 billion), was expected to be built through a PPP arrangement, with the private sector providing funds and later recouping the investment.
However, MPs have questioned whether this model is still viable, especially with the recent decision by the government to call off the signing of the contract due to financing issues.
Odur said that without a clear source for the remaining funds, the construction of Akii-Bua Stadium could drag on for years.
“If the Shs100 billion allocated will not even lay the foundation, where is the remaining Shs400 billion going to come from? This project could take 10 or more years if the money is not available,” he warned.
Tonny Ayo, the Member of Parliament for Kwania County, questioned why the project has not yet commenced despite previous assurances from the government. The legislator argues that the delay is preventing the region from benefiting from a sports infrastructure that was promised over a decade ago.
According to Ayo, the Solicitor General had recently cleared the contract, but it was the Secretary to the Treasury who halted the contract signing.
“We need to know why the contract was called off if the Ministry of Finance was the one that gave the go-ahead to the Solicitor General. This back-and-forth is unacceptable,” Ayo said.
“We lost a grant that could have helped move the project forward, and now we’re relying on promises. This stadium was meant to honour one of our national heroes, John Akii-Bua, and it’s disappointing to see it stalled by bureaucracy,” he said.
In February this year, the State Minister for Sports, Peter Ogwang, and officials from the National Council of Sports visited the construction site in Lira City and unveiled an Egyptian contractor set to undertake the construction of Akii-Bua Olympic Stadium ahead of the 2027 AFCON games to be hosted by Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania.
In fact, the sports state minister informed the leaders and locals that the work would start within two weeks at the time.
The Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, who described the discussion as a serious matter, deferred it to midday on Friday, when leaders from the Lango Sub-region will meet the line ministries.
“Honourable Members, this is a very serious issue. I want to request that the Minister of Finance come with your team tomorrow at midday.
“We meet over this thing and sort it out once and for all. And we also have a team from Lango, and we resolve this issue,” she said.
