The National Council of Sports (NCS) has revoked the certificate of recognition awarded to the Uganda Netball Federation (UNF). In a statement issued this afternoon, Ambrose Tashobya, the Chairman of the National Council of Sports, cited prolonged internal disputes within the UNF as the driving factor behind the decision.
The long-standing disagreements between UNF President Sarah Babirye Kityo and her deputy, Flavia Byekwaso, had been brought to the attention of the NCS and the Ministry of Education and Sports more than two and a half years ago with the expectation of reaching a resolution.
However, the involved parties failed to come to an agreement, prompting the NCS to take decisive action.
As part of the statement issued by Ambrose Tashobya, it was declared that “the UNF will no longer conduct any business related to the sport on behalf of the Government of Uganda.” This action effectively suspends the UNF’s role as the governing body for netball in the country.
The recent developments leading to this decision included the removal of Flavia Byekwaso from her office during a UNF meeting chaired by Sarah Kityo.
However, the Minister of Education and Sports, First Lady Janet Museveni, intervened by suspending Sarah Kityo and instructing Byekwaso to remain in her position as the acting president. The minister further directed the NCS to withhold further funding to the Federation until issues related to leadership and governance were resolved.
In response to these actions, Sarah Babirye Kityo initiated legal proceedings against the NCS through the Uganda Netball Executive Committee’s legal representatives, Luzige Kavuma and Company Advocates.
During a media briefing on Tuesday, Babirye defended her leadership and contradicted the NCS’s allegations.
Given the ongoing impasse and the inability to achieve a resolution to the internal strife, the National Council of Sports has opted to withdraw the certificate of recognition granted to the Uganda Netball Federation on June 6, 2016.