What do you need to know:
- The stadium, named after Uganda's first Olympic gold medalist John Akii-Bua, is expected to come at a cost of $129 million (approximately 470 billion Shs) and will be completed within 20 months.
The President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, officially initiated the construction of the Akii-Bua Olympic Stadium in Lira City, a project that has been underway for several years.
"Akii-Bua's delay is not due to a lack of concern, but rather because we had to survive first," Museveni stated at the ceremony, attended by Education and Sports Minister Janet Museveni and other prominent figures.
The stadium, named after Uganda's first Olympic gold medalist John Akii-Bua, is forecasted to incur a price tag of $129 million (approximately Shs470 billion) and is anticipated to be finalized within a 20-month timeframe.
The complex will house a 20,000-seat primary stadium, a 2,000-seat indoor arena for various sports, a semi-Olympic swimming pool, outdoor sports courts for basketball, netball, volleyball, and badminton, in addition to a parking facility for 1,000 vehicles.
The website will encompass a broad range of infrastructure: highways, utilities, ICT systems, a sewage treatment facility, aesthetic landscaping, perimeter fencing, and security systems.
Additional amenities include: a fully equipped clubhouse for stadium administration, a 60-room lodging facility, five sports fields, and a water well to decrease upkeep costs associated with water maintenance.
According to Janet Museveni, Uganda's Minister of Education and Sports, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) government has placed the development of sports infrastructure at the top of its agenda.
After several competing priorities, we're now able to start construction of the Akii-Bua Stadium. I firmly believe that timing is everything. Today, we've come together to turn this ambitious project into a reality.
Lira City Mayor Sam Atul expressed gratitude to the government for the project, which he believes will significantly accelerate economic transformation in the region.
Our people are beginning to realize their potential to contribute to economic activity. We commit to channeling this population to combat poverty and ultimately eradicate it from our community with your continued backing.
The State Minister for Sports, Peter Ogwang, assured sports enthusiasts that the Akii-Bua Stadium will be a cutting-edge facility, outdoing existing stadiums such as Namboole and Hoima.
"Mentioning Namboole and Hoima is no longer relevant; this facility will be the best in the entire country," he stated.
The project's completion is anticipated to have considerable implications for the 2026 elections, with some experts considering it a decisive factor in influencing voting in the Lango Sub-region.
However, President Museveni stressed the significance of transparency and honesty in politics, saying, "Please we are fed up with falsehoods. Votes should not be based on deceit. Votes should be based on truth."