Aquatic Centre land available at Namboole
Jan 12, 2015
Situated on about 10 acres of green, unfettered prime land next to Mandela National Stadium, Namboole is the proposed location of Uganda’s Aquatic Centre.
By Samuel Sanya
Situated on about 10 acres of green, unfettered prime land next to Mandela National Stadium, Namboole is the proposed location of Uganda’s Aquatic Centre.
Once in place, the facility is expected to churn out athletes that would usher the country into sporting glory.
What’s more, according to a master plan, the site has always been available since the stadium was officially opened with a Lucky
Dube concert in 1997.
However, despite its prime location and dire need for sporting facilities, the place has become an abode for thugs, heaps of garbage, sprawling cassava crops, flower beds, wild grass, large tracts of plantain and pine trees.
In the heat of the afternoon sun at the edge of the site recently, a black goat struggles on a patch of grass as a spotted one samples cassava leaves.
Goats grazing on the site
At a distance, two more goats wrestle on maize covers abandoned at the Aquatic Centre site.
At the large area that stretches from the stadium’s parking lot to the Sports View Hotel in Kireka, it’s nearly impossible to photograph the entire site from one single position.
The area is bordered by the northern bypass on one side and a route to the left of the Sports View Hotel that connects Bweyogerere to Kireka on the other.
A gentle breeze hovers over the valley where the site is located.
A fairly detailed map of the land surrounding Mandela National Stadium shows that the swimming section, indicated as quadrant 9 is by far the largest of the 15 subsections.
The master plan also indicates that sections have been set aside for hockey, basketball, volleyball, an indoor games arena and tennis courts among other activities.
None of these sections has reached its full potential and like the site for the Aquatic Centre, the subsections are an eyesore and a constant reminder of what could have been and what could be if the powers had acted before.
The Mandela National Stadium managing director Jamil Sewanyana said that he had engaged Uganda Swimming Federation (USF) over the Centre a year ago. However, nothing concrete came out of the meeting.
Sewanyana added that a second meeting is planned this week.
Land title plan on
“There is an ongoing process to change the name of the land title from the Uganda Land Commission to the Mandela National Stadium,” Sewanyana stated.
“After this process is completed, we will be able to sign PPPs (Public Private Partnerships) to develop the subsections.”
“We have not yet come up with designs for the Aquatic Centre. We do not know how large the land is as it is not yet in our names.
“USF said they are interested, so we have invited them for talks.”
Sewanyana explained that discussions have been planned with the USF to consider issues like funding, management and legal provisions surrounding the Aquatic Centre.
A survey shows that in addition to providing competitive pools, the Centre can also provide warm therapy pools, gyms, meeting rooms, specialised training for kayaking, stand up paddle surfing, sailing, rowing, canoeing and water skiing making it financially viable.
The Aquatic Centre could be constructed in a phased approach like the planned $6m (sh17b) Mission Valley Aquatics project in the US.
The project will make profits of $28,391 (sh80m) and $878,860 (sh2.5b) in the second and third years according to projections.
USF president Donald Rukare noted that the National Council of Sports (NCS) and the Sports Ministry would have to be involved if the Aquatic Centre is to see the light of day.
“If the Namboole National Stadium management is serious, we are willing to engage them,” Rukare said.
“We estimate that a competitive, semi-covered pool alone would cost at least sh1.3b.”
He revealed that USF had already engaged the world swimming body FINA, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and government over the project in the past.
Rukare remains optimistic that the project will materialise.
He explained that actual cost of the Aquatic Centre would depend on the structure of the soil where the site is located, the size of the stands, the design details and the number of features in the Centre.
NCS secretary general Jasper Aligawesa said that the Aquatic Centre is welcome news.
He added that the Centre would be benefit Ugandans.
About the offer of land for the Aquatic Centre, Aligawesa said: “This is the best news I have heard this year.”
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