Speaker of Parliament Anita Among has today led a Parliament team including Commissioner, Hon Mathias Mpuuga, to inspect renovation works at Mandela National Stadium.
Speaker Among was taken on a guided tour by army officials supervised by Sports State Minister Hon Peter Ogwang, and was satisfied with the works done by the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) Engineering Brigade.
“I did not expect to see what I have found here; I want to tell the UPDF Engineering Brigade that I am extremely impressed with what they have done,” she said.
Among said to ascertain the exact monies needed to get the works done to completion, Parliament will conduct a forensic audit. She also asked Hon Mpuuga to take time and properly tour the facility and report to Parliament on areas which need improvement.
“We shall do a forensic audit to see how much money we have spent on the project and how much more needs to be done due to the proposed variations,” she said.
Minister Ogwang directed contractors to complete all pending works and hand over the facility in two weeks time, in readiness for the African Nations Championships (CHAN) competitions in June.
The stadium is also part of Uganda’s plans for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) competition in 2027.
With Shs80 billion so far released for the project, final works required a full pay up of the Shs97 billion appropriated. Parliament last week pressed Finance State Minister Hon Amos Lugoloobi to release the remaining Shs17.7 billion to have works completed.
Speaker Among, upon Hon Ogwang’s request, ordered Pioneer Bus Limited vehicles parking on the stadium’s spaces to be removed forthwith ahead of inspections.
Courtesy: Parliament Press Unit