Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among has this afternoon hosted Uganda Stanbic Cup winners, Kitara FC and tipped the players on discipline.
The Hoima-based sports club last week beat NEC to win the 50th edition of the Uganda Stanbic Cup for the first time ever.
The team led by their President, Deo Kasozi today presented the trophy to the Speaker at her boardroom.
Speaker Among congratulated Kitara FC for this milestone and urged them to maintain good discipline on and off the pitch.
“I want to congratulate you for winning the Uganda Stanbic Cup. This comes with discipline because if you’re not disciplined then you can’t make it as a player,” Among said.
She reechoed Parliament’s commitment to supporting sports in the country, especially as far as stadia construction is concerned. Early this month, Parliament approved Shs152 billion Supplementary Budget for the construction of Hoima Stadium ahead of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in 2027.
The Speaker urged Kitara FC to support the construction of the Stadium so that the team acquires one of the training pitches as their home ground.
“Money has been given to the contractor and construction is going to start. The stadium should be ready in 18 months and that shd be your home ground. Once completed, the stadium will come with many training pitches and Kitara should turn one into their home,” Among said.
Currently, Kitara FC hosts its home games in Masindi which is about 60kms from Hoima. The club leadership has identified this infrastructure gap as one of their major challenges and has embarked on plans to acquire its own pitch.
She encouraged sports lovers to continue identifying and developing talent and also advised young athletes to, not only focus on their talents but also acquire skilled and vocational education.
“I always encourage students who are in sports to also concentrate on their studies. If you are not good in academics then go for a vocational course because you will not play football forever but you will need extra skills to survive,” she said.
Kasozi lauded the Speaker for spearheading the team that won the Pamoja bid to host AFCON 2027. He called upon government to finance Kitara’s upcoming international campaign in the Caf Confederation Cup next week.
