EDITOR—I am dismayed by the manner in which our community sports ground seems to have been clandestinely leased out recently to yet unknown people. We have learnt that the Naguru Sports Club ground adjacent to the Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA) has been allocated to an investor who is neither UMA nor Naguru Sports Club!

The investor and his team came to start construction work which has annoyed the local community.

We are annoyed because there is a presidential directive as far as sports fields are concerned at Lugogo. UMA has previously expressed interest in the field since it is a facility they utilise from time to time. The communities around utilise the fields for different activities ranging from leisure to schooling sports requirements.

Shoprite claimed they had lodged a caveat on the same piece of land having agreed with the Ministry of Local Government through KCC to keep the remaining sports field. Was the caveat lifted? Shoprite should kindly look into this. It is the duty of Government and KCC to provide community sports facilities as enshrined in the Constitution.

In pursuit of this constitutional right we call upon sports loving friends in the legal profession to take appropriate action against KCC.
No prior contact or information was published concerning the conversion/sale of the land because we would have contested it. The affected field is a community public facility used for training and sports and other related functions. Therefore it is very useful in our welfare unless a better alternative field in the vicinity is provided to the public.

I call upon all those in authority to intervene and take corrective action against those involved in leasing or subleasing or selling of sports infrastructure in the country.

Sportsmen and women, let us make this an example by vehemently opposing any alteration to sports facilities that is not meant to benefit sports. We need more sports facilities, not less!

I suggest that the officials involved in selling, leasing or donating sports infrastructure for conversion for different purposes be prosecuted in courts of law to serve as a deterrent to their unacceptable conduct. I call upon President Museveni to get interested in this matter because his directive has been ignored!

MPs must also look into this matter while the local government minister should explain why such facilities are not protected as enshrined in the Constitution. The lands minister should explain how the title for the land in question was allocated.

We also need the input of the education and sports minister. I believe John Nagenda as a seasoned and respectable presidential adviser knows what to do and I thank him for his contribution to Uganda sports.

Richard Byiringiro
Chairman NSC
nagurusports@gmail.com