Uganda’s Sports and Education Minister, Janet Museveni, has once again directed the President of the Uganda Netball Federation (UNF), Sarah Babirye Kityo, to temporarily step aside from her role until the ongoing investigations into her conduct are completed. This directive, conveyed in a letter dated October 4, 2023, addressed to the Chairperson of the National Council of Sports, Ambrose Tashobya, instructs that Kityo should vacate her office immediately.
The letter further stipulates that no additional funding should be provided to the Uganda Netball Federation until the issues concerning leadership and governance are resolved. It also instructs the NCS Chairman to withdraw the certificate of recognition from the Uganda Netball Federation if they fail to meet the requirements of a National Sports Federation. Moreover, the letter confirms that Brig. General Flavia Byekwaso is currently serving as the acting President of the federation.
The letter states, “Brig. General Flavia Byekwaso should continue to act as the Acting President of the Uganda Netball Federation in the interim, following my earlier directive dated July 24, until further guidance is provided by my office upon receipt of the report from the Criminal Investigation Department of the Uganda Police Force.” It’s worth noting that this is not the first time the Minister has issued such an order to the Netball Federation’s president to facilitate investigations.
Back in April 2023, a high-level meeting was convened at State House, Nakasero, attended by officials from the Ministry of Education and Sports, the National Council of Sports, and UNF. During this meeting, Kityo was instructed to step aside for a three-month period to allow investigations into various allegations, including mistreatment of players during the 2021 Pent Series, player harassment, misappropriation of funds, and a failure to account for finances. Following this suspension period, Kityo returned to her office, but her comeback was marred by a confrontation on the premises.
A group of armed police officers, at the behest of Byekwaso, attempted to remove her from the office. Behind closed doors, negotiations took place between Byekwaso and Kityo, with the former requesting an authorization letter for Babirye’s return. However, Babirye contested the need for such a letter, as she claimed she had never received an official suspension notice. The situation almost escalated into violence until Byekwaso received a message from an unidentified source, ultimately allowing Babirye to regain access to her office.
However, this action reportedly upset the Minister, who subsequently issued a letter directing Babirye to stay away from UNF premises until the completion and discussion of the reports from the offices of the Attorney General, Auditor General, and the Police’s Criminal Investigations Directorate. Since her controversial return to the office, a conflict has persisted between Kityo and her Vice President, Byekwaso.
In the past month, Kityo chaired an Executive meeting that decided to terminate Byekwaso’s interim tenure, citing her failure to provide a report on the She Cranes World Cup campaign. This decision was made despite the Minister’s prior warnings for Kityo to refrain from the office until investigations against her were concluded. Attempts to obtain a comment from Kityo were unsuccessful, as she did not respond to questions sent to her known contact number.
Meanwhile, Brig. General Flavia Byekwaso emphasized at the TLC arena in Kamwokya, where she was presiding over the Independence Netball Cup, that Kityo had been sent on leave in April for investigation, and this fact remains unchanged, making her the acting head of the netball governing body.
