Poor gov''t funding crippling sports

Sep 16, 2013

IF you thought sports in Uganda is poorly funded, you had better brace yourself for even worse times. Government funding to the sector has been cut from sh5.5bn to sh5bn

By James Bakama 

IF you thought sports in Uganda is poorly funded, you had better brace yourself for even worse times. Government funding to the sector has been cut from sh5.5bn to sh5bn in the current budget.  

Sports Commissioner Omara Apita, who now has the headache of deciding where to cut spending, prays for  the day ministry will be getting at least sh10bn.

“With the current allocation of sh5bn, we are constrained. As a sector we would comfortably perform with at least sh10bn.”

Most of the ministry’s operations were in the 2012-13 allocation squeezed in a recurrent budget of sh3.4bn of which, sh2.05bn went to National Council of Sports.

The Department of Sports was allocated sh1.3bn. The department’s funds are used for educational institutions championships, capacity building, supports to FUFA and UAF on the sh700m Presidential pledge and support of 32 sports schools.

The remaining 2.1bn was a development budget specifically for the high altitude center in Teryet, Kapchorwa and development of regional stadia in Mbale, Bugembe, Masaka, Mbarara, Kabale and Gulu.

Apita explained this week that with the new reduction, NCS will have to operate within sh1.95bn while the development budget has been scaled down sh1.99bn.

Federations and associations will be among the most seriously hit. In the previous budget, they were allocated sh480m. 

With a total of 53 national bodies hungrily eyeing this allocation, there is virtually no value addition resulting from this investment. 

If this money is to be equally divided amongst these bodies, each of them would be entitled to sh8.8m for an entire year. That this money is given in quarters means each of the associations would be entitled to sh2.2m per release or a monthly package of sh500,000.

The NCS budget amongst also caters for major competitions like the Olympics, wages and developments around the Lugogo sports complex.

“It’s tough concedes NCS General Secretary Jasper Aligawesa adding that in order for council to comfortably be in charge of the associations it requires sh10bn.

Aligawesa insists that they deserve much better. “By virtue of sharing a ministry with the education sector, means we are like twins. So, why give us crumbs?”

Aligawesa’s cries are fuelled by the huge disparity between the education and sport budget allocations.  Education has been given sh1.8 trillion shillings in the 2013-14 budget.

Related stories

Funds shortage bogs down UAF

Kenya, Nigeria dwarf Uganda’s paltry sports budget of sh5b!

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});