The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Annet Anita Among, has directed Peter Ogwang, the State Minister for Sports, to present a statement on the status of Mandela National Stadium Namboole and the accountability of the Shs97 billion that was released for the renovations.

She made these remarks on Thursday, April 11, 2024, during a plenary session in Parliament.

“If they say they want more money, let them tell us what the Shs97 billion has done. We are supposed to play against Algeria in the qualifiers, but the ground is not ready. Morocco offered to host us for free, but Algeria has declined to play there because of their issues. Can the minister give us a way forward on Namboole?” Speaker said.

This follows a plea by MP John Nambeshe, also the Chief Opposition Whip (Manjiya County), who expressed concerns about the slow progress of works at the Mandela National Stadium.

“We are bound to miss out on hosting the World Cup qualifiers if the facility is not completed. Can the government tell us where the problem is?” MP Nambeshe said.

Recently, the UPDF Engineering Brigade, which is managing the renovation of Namboole Stadium, said they still require about Shs17 billion to complete the construction work.

Minister Ogwang said the renovation is currently at 86% and is hopeful it will be completed once the supplementary money is released.

The construction of the facility was expected to be completed by the end of February 2024, in preparation for Uganda to host AFCON matches.

The renovations of Namboole kicked off in January 2022 following the decision of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) to blacklist the stadium because it was substandard.