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First Lady’s visit an endorsement of Nakivubo work, says Kiggundu
Seal of approval. Construction work at Nakivubo the day the First Lady Janet Museveni visited on Wednesday. She was received by stadium developer Ham Kiggundu and minister Charles Bakkabulindi. PHOTOS BY PPU
What you need to know:
- Last year in February, the stadium that was constructed in 1926 and first redeveloped in 1954 to commemorate Ugandans killed in the second world war, was brought down while vendors from the Park Yard Market were evicted to pave way for the upgrade.
Kampala. The stalling plans to redevelop Nakivubo War Memorial Stadium (NWMS) into a top class sports arena received a major boost with the First Lady Janet Museveni’s visit last Wednesday.
On September 16, 2009, Cabinet approved a master plan for the redevelopment and upgrading of the NWMS using the Public-private-partnership (PPP) methodology but with a condition that the area and infrastructure around the stadium should be incorporated in the planning of the project.
Last year in February, the stadium that was constructed in 1926 and first redeveloped in 1954 to commemorate Ugandans killed in the second world war, was brought down while vendors from the Park Yard Market were evicted to pave way for the upgrade.
The works that first included the constructions of shops by businessman and developer Hamis Kiggundu alias Ham of Ham Towers Limited, left many skeptical on whether this masterplan would be realised.
“I received many letters about what was stalling the construction and I decided to come and see for myself if what was written was actually true. But after this visit and according to the plans I have been shown by the contractors, I have realized everything is moving on well,” the First Lady told the media.
According to State Minister for Sports Charles Bakkabulindi, there were also several court and compensation cases that stalled works while he also defended the developer’s choice to start with constructing shops.
Three years needed
“The developer had to finish the shops first so he could start recovering money invested and service loans but we also had many cases from people who claimed to have stayed here in the past and kept taking their cases to court,” Bakkabulindi said. The Stadium, once works resume, is expected to take about three years to complete and will also house volley ball and tennis courts, boxing and gym facilities, roof pavilion, health club and others facilities.
Contractors ROKO had completed most of the foundation work by the time works stalled in September last year and for Kiggundu, the First Lady’s intervention couldn’t have come sooner.
“When someone of that significance in the country comes down to see what we are up to, you get an assurance that every pending issue will be sorted,” Kiggundu told Daily Monitor.
“She also came with the (deputy) Attorney General (Mwesigwa) Rukutana, who assured us that his office has already given all the necessary blessings for this construction to continue. He also said that the cases will be quickly handled and that we shall get all the necessary support from his office to complete the work in time.
“For me, all this is important because I got a chance to develop myself, the sports fraternity and my country.
I assure you that this stadium does not belong to me, therefore, I need everyone’s support to complete it so I can hand it over to the government as soon as possible,” Kiggungu said.
