The highly-anticipated Arua Hill Complex, a stadium once tipped to revolutionize football in Northern Uganda and across the nation, has come to a grinding halt for over a year, leaving its future in jeopardy.
During a visit to the construction site on Tuesday, Beatrice Akello, the Minister of State for Economic Monitoring in the Office of the President, was dismayed to find the site in a dilapidated state, overrun by snakes and wild animals.
The Arua Municipality had allocated land to local developer Joadah Consults for the ambitious project, which included plans for a 20,000-seater stadium complex, along with business units and apartments, forming a part of a public-private partnership. The company was entrusted to oversee the stadium’s management under a 49-year lease agreement, after which ownership would transfer to the Arua City Council.
Initially launched in 2019, the construction of the establishment located on Plot 1-7 Pakwach Road in Arua Central division was slated for completion within three years, with an original target end date of June 2021. However, unforeseen challenges, such as the disruptive impact of COVID-19 and other undisclosed factors, have caused significant delays in the stadium’s construction.
In August of this year, Jaffer Aita Joel, President of Arua Hill and the driving force behind the project, assured that construction would soon resume. “We are gearing up to resume construction activities,” Aita had shared at the time.
However, the Minister’s recent visit exposed that no construction work has been underway, raising concerns over the absence of a memorandum of understanding detailing how returns from the complex would be shared with the Arua City Council.
On these grounds, Minister Akello has directed the State House Anti-Corruption Unit to investigate the terms and conditions under which the investor acquired the land in Arua town.
The Minister’s visit comes as part of her ongoing inspection of government projects and the use of public funds in Arua City, shedding light on the pressing issues surrounding the Arua Hill Complex and its future.