📸Aki-Bua stadium construction at 30%, leaders commend Museveni

LIRA - Leaders in Lira district and Lango sub-region have commended President Yoweri Museveni over the Aki-Bua Olympic Stadium, whose construction work has reached 30%.

The president commissioned the construction of the 20,000-seater stadium in Lira City last year.

Constructors, Samco National Construction Company from Egypt, have assured the country that they hope to hand over the facility by October 2026, ahead of the January 2027 earlier intended schedule.

The project manager, Muhammad Nazih, says about 9500 workers from within the region have already secured jobs, with about 90% from Lira district. (All Photos by Eddie Ssejjoba)

The project manager, Muhammad Nazih, says about 9500 workers from within the region have already secured jobs, with about 90% from Lira district. 

They are also purchasing all the construction materials from the local communities and elsewhere in Uganda, only importing what is not available in the country.

On completion, the complex will have a 20,000-seater capacity for the main stadium, an athletic track, training facilities with at least two changing rooms, a 2,000-seat multi-sport indoor stadium, a 25-meter semi-Olympic swimming pool, outdoor courts for basketball, netball, volleyball and badminton, with a 1,000 vehicle parking facility.

The stadium is one of the symbols of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) success stories and is one of the mega projects that the campaign teams are selling to the people of Lira and Lango sub-region as they present their candidate, President Museveni, to the people to consider in the January 2026 polls.

In addition, the site will also include several infrastructures, like roads, utilities, ICT systems, a sewerage treatment plant, a fully furnished clubhouse for the stadium operators, a 60-room hostel, five sports pitches and a borehole to reduce water maintenance costs.

Commenting on the facility as one of NRM’s remarkable achievements, Lira Resident City Commissioner, Lawrence Egole, says the community is so impressed with the speed and steadfastness of the constructors.

“As you can see, this stadium is less than a year old, but there is a lot of progress going on. We are so happy,” he says. 

The RCC was part of the team of leaders who Saturday, October 04, 2025 visited and toured the facility and talked to the workers to encourage them.

He explains that by the close of last month (September), at least 980 youth had secured jobs at the site.

“Creating jobs is one of President Museveni’s visions to reduce unemployment by attracting as many youth to such projects as possible,” he explains.

The RCC says he is sure that in the project's two years, many more people will have secured jobs and improved their livelihoods.

“This stadium is one of the gains of the NRM government that we and the President are talking about. He also wants us to protect these gains as our theme states,” the RCC says, adding, “This stadium is a vision that everyone wants to protect. It is now a talk of this region, that is why we are so grateful to the President for it,” he explains.

Egole cited several other similar projects that the NRM is proud of in the region, including Lira Referral Hospital, which he says has registered remarkable improvements, with huge sums of money invested by the NRM government to ensure it improves the delivery of services to the public.

“When you go to Lira Referral Hospital, you will see the development that has taken place there within a short time,” he states.

Other projects the party is proud of in the region, according to the RCC, are the good roads that have been constructed to ensure Lira is well-connected to other regions. This, he says, has been leading to business booming in the area.

“Lira city is now one of the highest revenue generators among the five cities in the region.”

He says the entire Lango community is happy with the mega infrastructure projects like the Aki-Bua stadium and others coming up, and enabling people to get jobs.

“With this stadium, we are going to see other businesses springing up because businesspeople are beginning to plan how to take advantage of this facility.”

The RCC says Lira is one of the most gifted in the region with talents in athletics, soccer and other sports disciplines.

The construction of the facility, he points out, will help to develop talents in the region.
“So far we are on the right track and moving on well, so far so good, and we have registered no major challenge,” he says.

Sam Atul, the Lira City mayor, says communities are proud to host the Aki-Bua Olympic Stadium and hopes it will bring back the glory of the region in sports.

He says the NRM government has done them good by naming the stadium after their own son, John Aki-Bua, the first Ugandan to win a gold medal in the 1972 Olympic Games.

The region, he says, still has many more talents, including the Vipers FC star, Allan Okello, who is also on the national team, and the Cranes, and hails from the region.

“We are sure the stadium will bring back the glory of sports in the region,” he says. Other economic benefits include offering jobs to many youths and enabling local people to supply food and other materials to the site.

Other economic benefits include offering jobs to many youths and enabling local people to supply food and other materials to the site.

Atul encouraged people in the communities to embrace the opportunities brought closer to them to engage in sports and explore the opportunities in the hospitality sector.