The National Council of Sports (NCS) Secretary-General, Patrick Ogwel, has urged for a budget allocation of at least 1.4 trillion Ugandan Shillings in the upcoming 2024/2025 budget. Ogwel and other Council members presented the proposed budget before the Parliament’s budget committee, citing the multitude of sporting events lined up for the year.
The substantial budget request is fueled by various sporting activities scheduled for the 2024/2025 period, including the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, All African Games, and East Africa Community Games. Ogwel emphasized that sports federations would require funds to send athletes to qualifying events preceding the main competitions, aiming to secure their participation.
The NCS Secretary-General highlighted a financial commitment of at least 114 billion Shillings to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as hosting fees for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). Uganda, in collaboration with Kenya and Tanzania, recently won the hosting rights through the East Africa Pamoja Bid.
Moreover, Ogwel indicated the intention to increase the budget for certain sports federations, citing the President’s directive to raise the Uganda Athletics Federation’s budget from 3 billion to 10 billion Shillings. This increase is essential to support the federation that recently brought glory to Uganda.
Ogwel outlined specific budgetary requirements, including 380 billion Shillings for the Hoima stadium for AFCON, 100 billion Shillings for constructing ten training facilities in Kampala and Hoima, and 790 billion Shillings for building the Lugogo Sports Complex.
The proposed budget is three times larger than the current budget of 48.9 billion Shillings allocated to the National Council of Sports. Notably, the Federation of Ugandan Football Associations (FUFA) receives the largest share, approximately 17.1 billion Shillings.
Sports administrators have long advocated for increased funding in the sports sector. The Minister of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development, Matia Kasaija, announced an increase to 47.81 billion Shillings in the sports sector’s budget for the 2022/2023 financial year, up from 17 billion Shillings in the previous year
