Lira, Uganda – The Senior Presidential Advisor in charge of the Lango zone, Sam Engola, has assured the country and political players that the National Resistance Movement (NRM) is poised to secure more votes in Lango as the construction of the Akii Bua Olympic Stadium officially begins. The site handover ceremony, which took place on December 24, 2024, was attended by hundreds of people in Lira District and Lira City.
The event was graced by leaders including Senior Presidential Advisor Sam Engola, Government Chief Whip Denis Hamson Obua, Lango MPs such as Minister Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, Chairperson of the Lango Parliamentary Group Hon. Alyek Judith, Hon. MP Opio Acuti, and Hon. Okot Ogong, among others. They emphasized the importance of considering local content in the construction process.
During the site handover, held in Lira City East Division, Engola called on the contractor to prioritize employing skilled youth from the Lango sub-region for the construction of the stadium. In an exclusive interview with the media at the Akii Bua Olympic site on Tuesday, Engola urged SAMCO International Construction, an Egyptian company contracted to build the stadium, to focus on local employment opportunities.
The 20,000-seat stadium will feature modern amenities, including a main stadium, training facilities, an indoor stadium, a swimming pool, outdoor courts, parking spaces, and other supporting infrastructures. The entire project is expected to be completed within 20 months.
Engola added that the project reflects the NRM government’s commitment to sports development in the country, as well as the community’s dedication to the project, having donated 18.455 acres of land for the stadium’s construction in Lira. Recently, people were saying ‘No Akii Bua, No Votes,’ but now that the Akii Bua Olympic Stadium is being built, it means more votes for NRM,” Engola said with enthusiasm to The Ankole Times reporter.
Hon. Judith Alyek, Kole District Woman Member of Parliament and Chairperson of the Lango Parliamentary Group (LPG), expressed concerns over some companies that have violated labor laws by importing workers from outside the region while neglecting local labor. She warned that such practices should not occur during the construction of the Akii Bua Olympic Stadium.
Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Kataha Museveni, pledged her full support for the construction of the long-awaited stadium. This was conveyed through a speech by Government Chief Whip Denis Hamson Obua. She stated that the facility would be a lasting tribute to the late Lango icon, John Akii Bua, and emphasized that it would play a key role in hosting the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, following the acceptance of the Pamoja bid by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), which includes Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania as co-hosts.
Engola assured the people of Erute South Constituency that he will run for re-election under the NRM ticket in the 2026 general elections.
