The commander of the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) Engineering, Brigade Godfrey Tukamwakira has pledged to complete the construction of the Kyambogo Football Stadium in the next five months.

This is one of the training facilities the country will use to host the Confederation of African Football Championships (CHAN) 2024 later this year and AFCON 2027 jointly with Kenya and Tanzania.

“The engineering brigade will work tirelessly with the key stakeholders in the PAMOJA project to see that this facility is finished within five months of starting the operation,” Tukamwakira noted.

He noted this at the University football pitch on the west end of the university on Tuesday.

The first phase entails grading the facility, perimeter fencing, dressing rooms, drainage plus water system, and lavatories with the installation of floodlights.

The second phase will have the VIP stand, medical room, administrative offices, tennis courts, and basketball courts.

He noted this after the university had finished signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Council of Sports (NCS) on behalf of the government to redevelop the university football facility in preparation for the two football events.

The facility is slated to cost sh14.3b for the first phase which the engineering brigade will work tooth and nail to hand over in one piece in the time stipulated.

The government was represented by a mouthful of dignities led by the State Minister for Sports Peter Ogwang, NCS General Secretary Bernard Ogwel, NCS chairman Ambrose Tashobya, Margret Basemera, and Cecilia Anyakoit who are board members and also on the AFCON board, Kyambogo university staff led by the vice chancellor Eli Katunguka.

Minister Ogwang rallied the brigade to first secure the university boundaries and then embark on the work proper to see to it that the project Is a success.

“Please see to it that the university land is free and safe from encroachers like you did to the Namboole land. This will enable you to work efficiently without any inconvenience from the encroachers and squatters.”

Kyambogo University Vice Chancellor Eli Katunga is thrilled to have Kyambogo University as a sports hub among the many universities in the country to have the state-of-the-art sports infrastructure set up at the university.

“I am glad to benefit from the government on two occasions starting from last year when the government sought the university as a worthy host of the Cricket Oval for the development of the game, and now its CHAN and AFCON which we are taking on very seriously,” Katunguka confirmed.

This will be the second AFCON project that the UPDF engineering brigade has embarked on to set up after being asked about the redevelopment of Namboole Stadium and now Kyambogo University Stadium.

The NCS chairman, Ambrose Tashobya is confident that the work will be executed perfectly by the engineering brigade.

“I am very confident that UPDF will pull off an exceptional job and have the facility ready in the stipulated time possible.