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Speaker of Parliament Anita Among has ordered Pioneer Bus Limited vehicles parking at the Mandela National Stadium complex to be removed with immediate effect.

The Speaker on Monday led a Parliament team including Commissioner of Parliament Mathias Mpuuga to inspect works at the stadium.

Among emphasised that the sports minister Peter Ogwang must appear before Parliament on Tuesday morning, with this issue slated as the top agenda item.

Stalled Pioneer Bus Limited vehicles parked at the Mandela National Stadium complex. (Photo by Edith Namayanja)

"If we have a beautiful smart stadium here, we no longer need scrap in our premises," she asserted, highlighting the urgency of restoring the stadium's integrity.

Among also stressed that the stadium's board must ensure that the land remains dedicated solely to sports activities saying that, “The land that belongs to the stadium should never be used for anything else without a resolution.”

Emphasising transparency, she called for an investigation into the leasing of the land to Pioneer buses and how much the government earned from Non-Tax Revenue (NTR).

Speaker of Parliament Anita Among during the inspection of the works at Mandela National Stadium. (Photo by Edith Namayanja)

May 25 deadline

The renovation and upgrade of the Mandela National Stadium, which commenced in August 2022 is expected to be fully complete by May 25, 2024, as promised by Peter Seku Kidemuka, the project engineer.

With a budget of sh97bn allocated, progress has been significant, and Parliament last week pressed finance state minister Amos Lugoloobi to release the remaining sh17.7bn to have works completed.

Speaker of Parliament Anita Among during the inspection of the works at Mandela National Stadium. (Photo by Edith Namayanja)

“Priority has been accorded to the Confederation of African Football, who have conducted two site visits to ensure that the renovations align with their stringent standards. This urgency stems from the impending World Cup qualifiers scheduled for June 2024 and the African Nations Championship slated for September 2024,” Kidemuka explained.