Namutumba leaders clash over Shs2m stadium cash

Councillors in Namutumba are up in arms over Shs2 million meant to improve the district stadium in Kaiti Village, Namutumba Town Council, and venue of the 2023 International Labour Day celebrations.

A resolution was passed in the Financial Year 2017/2018 to have a district stadium, and in Financial Year 2022/2023, council passed Shs2 million to plant paspalum (grass) on the pitch but no work has been done to-date.

Mubarak Mukisa, the district councillor representing Kibaale Town Council, blamed LC5 chairman David Mukisa and his executive for allegedly awarding the contract to refurbish the stadium to a civil servant.

The unnamed civil servant reportedly hires prisoners from Kaiti Prisons to clear the field using hand hoes which is further delaying work.

“The stadium is part of a strategy to promote sports and tourism in the district, but the LC5 chairperson is doing people a disservice,” Mukisa told Monitor on Monday.

He added: “Council’s commitment to complete the stadium on time for the district to host events is being challenged by those with selfish interests.”

A councillor, who asked not to be named in order to speak freely, said the Shs2 million which was allocated for clearing the field and planting paspalum did not do the work.

“The contractor was supposed to clear the field before the district hosted the International Labour Day celebrations, but he did not,” the councilor said.

According to him, funds that were used to clear the bush and level the ground were from the central government, not the Shs2 million that was passed by council.

Simon Isiko, the councillor representing Mazuba Sub-county, said during the monitoring exercise, councillors learnt that the district chairperson and his executive unlawfully awarded the contract to refurbish the district stadium to the district’s sports officer, yet council had resolved that it be taken up by a contractor.

Isiko said: “Council is an independent body and the supreme body of the district; so, any project which is funded using taxpayers’ money is contracted. The district is missing out on international events because of the delay to complete the stadium.”

Mukisa refuted the councillors’ claims, saying works to clear the stadium are being taken up by the district sports officer and district engineer, whom he referred to as “experts”.

“It is true the council passed Shs2 million to clear the stadium, but that money was not enough; we planted paspalum, and it dried because of sunshine. This time, we plan to extend water which will be used for watering the paspalum during the dry season,” Mukisa added.

He further explained that during the current financial year, council passed an additional Shs20 million which is going to be used for reconstruction of the stadium.

“We are fully committed to constructing the stadium because we have enough land and a budget of Shs100 million, but the district budget is very small. We had requested the government and Federation of Uganda Football Association (FUFA) to help us because we want a modern stadium but have not received any funding from the government,” Mukisa disclosed.