MP Ayume wants govt to acquire shares in Arua stadium

Member of Parliament (MP) Dr Charles Ayume (Koboko municipality, NRM) has appealed to the Government to financially rescue the Arua Hill Park stadium.

He raised a matter of national importance during plenary on Thursday, February 15, 2024.

The multi-purpose sports and business complex, which has been under construction for the last four years is owned by entrepreneur Eng. Joel Aita Jaffar and is located next to the Arua City Monument at the roundabout on Pakwach Road in Arua, Uganda.

Upon completion, it is expected to host football, basketball, tennis, volleyball, and badminton games.

However, following delays that media reports attribute to financial difficulties, Ayume contends that authorities should acquire a stake in the legacy project.

“Rt. Hon. Speaker there is a private investor in West Nile, Arua city developing a stadium. He took out a lease from city authorities and it is a 20,000-seater stadium probably at 40%. If Government could reach out to this private developer as is the norm when we are hosting international events to see if we can infuse him with some support,” he argued.

“If this stadium can be finished through maybe buying of shares, equity and so forth. Because we are 400km from where the action will take place, I think that will be a legacy for us to enjoy the football from the stadium virtually,” Ayume added.

Investor to be contacted

Sports state minister Peter Ogwang promised to take up this matter: “I will be interested in finding out the contacts of the private investor and we see how we could begin to look at the corporation between the Government because what we need is to encourage many investors in sports infrastructure,” Ogwang said. 

The call comes with three years left to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) continental soccer showpiece.

The competitions will be jointly hosted by Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. In Uganda's case, three stadiums, Nakivubo, Namboole and Hoima have been selected due to their proximity to airports.

This is in line with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) dictates.

“2027 sounds far but I want to say that it is near. These stadiums are needed by 31st December 2025. It’s when inspectors will be able to come. So, if you look at the time, it means that we have about less than 18 months for us to have this project but we are sure with the kind of contractor we have got, they have the expertise, they can do this work very well,” Ogwang recently told New Vision.

The Government is expected to expend shillings 180 billion on Hoima while Buhinga stadium and Akii bua in Lira have been allocated shillings 100 billion each, according to the Budget Framework Paper (BFP).