President Yoweri Museveni has urged the private sector to invest in the education and sports sectors so that Ugandans can prove further that we can sustain ourselves, as the government has done with security and the economy of the country.

Museveni was speaking to the gathering after commissioning the newly reconstructed Nakivubo Stadium by Ham Enterprises on Thursday.

He said Hamis Kiggundu had believed in the philosophy that we can develop ourselves without relying on foreigners.

“You should start believing in yourselves. I want to thank Kiggundu because he has been able to show that attitude not only in this project but even in others

Museveni said when Kiggundu presented his proposal it was easy for him to understand using his guerilla tactics because guerillas act fast. He said it was a clear idea because he asked for a 49-year lease to develop it using private funds, and recover it through the businesses around the stadium and gate collections for 49 years.

“I told my people to support this man and told them that if he fails we shall throw him out. Because what we wanted is to have a stadium in place and that is what he has delivered, it doesn’t matter whether he is a private person. It is not important to cling on government property without developing it,” Museveni noted.

He said what the private sector invests in has a multiplier effect on everybody so he said he was against sleepy people who are against such developments. He advised Kiggundu to manage the facility without government interference.

“After 49 years the government will decide to take the facility back or to add him more years because the government is involved in many other things. I have toured the facility and have been assured that the stadium meets AFCON and other international standards,” Museveni stated.

“I’m now very happy because we have Namboole, Nakivubo which is leased to Kiggundu for 49 years and we are going to build one or two others in Hoima and the Akii-Bua in Lira, so we shall have three or four international stadiums,”

He said there are also other plans to develop other zonal and regional stadiums though they will be handled in a phased manner. He said all the regional stadiums like Kakyeeka, Masaka, Mbale, Jinja, and Buhinga are still there and only need renovation.

“I want to thank and congratulate Hamis Kiggundu for the good work for the innovative spirit and embracing the smart policy of the NRM in using the private sector. He castigated some government officials who think all problems can be solved by just eating.

He said Kiggundu was among the breed of youngsters who are innovative and who know that you can get prosperity from Uganda. This is what we have been telling you since the bush days. We told you then that Uganda could defend itself.

People thought we could only work and prosper with the whites but we told them that we had the same size of heads and therefore we don’t need foreigners for our security. The government here was inviting foreigners and fighting for them but we were building the Kadogo that is why we defeated all armies because our army was a Ugandan product.

“That spirit of self-sufficiency we have put it in economics, and politics is what kiggundu has used,”

He said government officials wanted to manage the transport system, and the few hotels that belonged to the government but when I came I told them to leave the Wanainchi to operate the sectors now you can see how many buses and hotels are here under so many companies.

“Even in education and sports, we want the private sector to take over and I know they have done so with the number of private secondary schools that are more than those of the government.

“So this is the way to go in sports and we would like to thank Kiggundu for answering this need in sports,” Museveni stated before he thanked all the employees and workers for a good job.

He also thanked Kiggundu for venturing into other projects like Agro-processing and farming and pledged government support to those projects as well before encouraging all present to continue working hard.

Kiggundu thanked the President for offering him the political blessing that enabled him to put up such a structure and said the function was only attended by people who had direct participation in the construction and implementation of the project.

“We are proudly a team of Ugandans who have put together this project. I’m humbled that I have had your support and blessing from the start-up to the end,” Kiggundu stated.

“Despite the hardships along the way, I’m happy that this has come to pass and I just took it as an obligation as a Ugandan to participate in the development of my country, collectively,”

“This is a direct reflection of your effort and struggle and I would like fellow Ugandans to take advantage of the prevailing circumstances in the country to develop our country because I demonstrated that it can be done,” Kiggundu stated.

The function was attended among others the Cabinet Minister for Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs Minsa Kabanda, the RCC for Kampala Amina Lukanga, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Education and Sports Ketty Lamaro, the KCCA Executive Director Harriet Kisaka and the Mayor Kampala Central Division Salim Uhuru.

The entire crew that worked on the stadium from the beginning including engineers was also present.