I need shs20bn for sports, says Bakkabulindi
Sep 08, 2015
The state minister for sports, Charles Bakkabulindi has said that he needs at least sh20b in each financial year to boost all the sports disciplines right from the grassroots.
By Eddie Ssejjoba
The state minister for sports, Charles Bakkabulindi has said that he needs at least sh20b in each financial year to boost all the sports disciplines right from the grassroots.
He said that soccer alone needs shs1bn to develop talent right from primary, secondary and at national level, which he said must be secured in order to invest and reap from the discipline
Speaking to journalists, Bakkabulindi said the shs20bn is needed for the 53 disciplines, which he said would include nurturing teams right from down the village to national level, that would in turn produce talent the way it is being done in many other countries.
He said several other disciplines were picking up in Uganda with the most recent being beach soccer, saying more money was needed to cater for interests of different sports activities.
He said in his plans, he wants to revive boxing, after realizing that the country had a lot of talent yet they were not well funded and congratulated our boxer who got a knockout in DR Congo.
The minister was speaking from the NRM electoral commission offices on Plot 13 Kyadondo Road where he picked forms to contest for the position of workers' MP in the party primaries.
Answering questions as to why the government releases funds late for participating teams in international events with the example of the She Cranes, the minister said the teams were partly to blame for submitting budgets but failing to push and follow them.
"I agree it is not good to wait for the last hour to release funds but these teams should also always prepare in time, submit budgets and make follow ups and push harder until they get the money," he said.
He said that for Uganda to participate at all events from primary to University and improve performance and persistence, it needed more funding through improved budgeting.
Bakkabulindi said he still needed the parliamentary seat to complete the programs he had started.
He congratulated the Uganda Cranes for its recent achievement when they beat Comoros 1-0 saying our team had shown a lot of improvement.
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