I SAY SO: Sports given a raw deal
May 15, 2005
IT'S time to take stock of President Yoweri Museveni's 2001 election manifesto. Going by what's being said, the head of state seems to have scored very highly.
IT'S time to take stock of President Yoweri Museveni's 2001 election manifesto. Going by what's being said, the head of state seems to have scored very highly.
Interestingly, no one seems to be talking about sports. But perhaps that's not surprising. Why talk about sports when there are more priority areas like education, health and security?
It all reminds me of a comment Museveni once made that sport, which he saw as leisure, was for the economically satisfied countries.
I nevertheless still picked a copy of his 2001 manifesto and therein, I found a brief segment about what he planned for sports.
He promised to continue sourcing public funds for sports. He also wanted to create an enabling environment in which the private sector would ultimately lead developments in the sports sector.
There was also a plan for a sports policy and the construction of one sports stadium in each district.
An enabling environment has to a great extent been created with the private sector becoming a key sports financier.
But like most third world countries our private sector is still narrow and the state still has to be the main sponsor.
That is however not the case in Uganda.
Annual funding that is channelled through National Council of Sports has steadily dropped from sh508m in 2001 to sh 344m this year.
The figure fell from close to a billion in 1991 when NCS was catering for 24 associations compared to the 38 affiliated to it today.
Former NCS general secretary Abbey Lutaya once said that for NCS to operate optimally, it required sh3.6bn. The latest release is 9.86% of the money required to run sports.
About the stadiums, maybe Museveni could pull off a new world record by constructing them in the remaining eight months of his term.
Museveni should also be commended for delivering on his promise of a sports policy.
Absence of this document has always been given as the reason for the limited sports funding.
What's ironical though, is that almost a year after approval of the policy by cabinet, the resultant funding remains a dream.
We could borrow a leaf from Kenya which after investing heavily in sport, now has its athletics rivalling the country’s leading sector -tourism - in income.
Ends
Interestingly, no one seems to be talking about sports. But perhaps that's not surprising. Why talk about sports when there are more priority areas like education, health and security?
It all reminds me of a comment Museveni once made that sport, which he saw as leisure, was for the economically satisfied countries.
I nevertheless still picked a copy of his 2001 manifesto and therein, I found a brief segment about what he planned for sports.
He promised to continue sourcing public funds for sports. He also wanted to create an enabling environment in which the private sector would ultimately lead developments in the sports sector.
There was also a plan for a sports policy and the construction of one sports stadium in each district.
An enabling environment has to a great extent been created with the private sector becoming a key sports financier.
But like most third world countries our private sector is still narrow and the state still has to be the main sponsor.
That is however not the case in Uganda.
Annual funding that is channelled through National Council of Sports has steadily dropped from sh508m in 2001 to sh 344m this year.
The figure fell from close to a billion in 1991 when NCS was catering for 24 associations compared to the 38 affiliated to it today.
Former NCS general secretary Abbey Lutaya once said that for NCS to operate optimally, it required sh3.6bn. The latest release is 9.86% of the money required to run sports.
About the stadiums, maybe Museveni could pull off a new world record by constructing them in the remaining eight months of his term.
Museveni should also be commended for delivering on his promise of a sports policy.
Absence of this document has always been given as the reason for the limited sports funding.
What's ironical though, is that almost a year after approval of the policy by cabinet, the resultant funding remains a dream.
We could borrow a leaf from Kenya which after investing heavily in sport, now has its athletics rivalling the country’s leading sector -tourism - in income.
Ends