Members of Parliament sitting on the Committee of Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises, COSASE have summoned the State Minister for Sports Charles Bakabulindi over the poor state of stadiums upcountry.
The Committee Deputy chairperson, Anita Among who steered today’s meeting with the National Council of Sports, made the resolution following a heated session in which MPs castigated the top management of the National Council of Sports, for abdicating their responsibility of managing the stadiums.
The National Council of Sports was represented by the acting Secretary General Dr. Ogwel Bernard and acting Chairman Zubair Galiwango.
They had appeared to respond to audit queries in the Auditor General’s report for the year 2013/2014, but the MPs brought up the matter of the stadiums, as an urgent issue needing attention.
Galiwango argued that the National Council of Sports was constrained to act, due to a decentralisation policy that placed the management of the stadiums under local governments.
But his submission was shot down by Usuk County MP Peter Ogwang who pointed out that this does not mean the districts would refuse assistance from National Council of Sports, unless the council was trying to grab stadium land.
Among quizzed the National Council of Sports bosses on whether they had bothered to write to the district and received a response.
Galiwango’s second argument was the constraint of a meagre capital development fund, but this too was rejected by Ogwang, who stated that funds had been provided for Akiibua stadium and misused.
Ogwang suggested that Bakabulindi be summoned because it his office that should have made a proposal to cabinet to transfer management of all stadiums to the National Council of Sports.
Anita Among eventually resolved following consensus from MPs that Bakabulindi be summoned to explain outstanding queries surrounding development of sports and stadiums across the country.
