Lieutenant Colonel Peter Kidemuka, the project engineer under the UPDF Engineering Brigade for Namboole Stadium, has revealed that part of the Shs97 billion approved to renovate the stadium was used to compensate and vacate the witch doctor of ‘Omusambwa Namboole’ to allow the works to proceed smoothly. He said the army was able to secure all the 128 acres of land, from several squatters including the witch doctor.
“Works for the perimeter wall at Namboole started on 25th January 2022 and works were completed on 25th June 2022, and the project cost Shs3.8Bn and all the 128 acres of land are secure. We even had a witch doctor here who had a land title, but we had to ensure he goes away,” said Kidemuka.
The project engineer made this revelation this morning when Speaker of Parliament Anita Among inspected the ongoing works following the Confederation of African Football (CAF)’s refusal to approve the renovation works undertaken by UPDF Engineering Brigade.
Col. Kidemuka informed the Speaker that the renovation works were being delayed due to financial issues as the Ministry of Finance only released Shs80 billion of the Shs97 billion.
According to Kidemuka, the phased renovation works that started in February 2022 currently stand at 82%, and they are working tirelessly to ensure that the project is delivered since the balance of Shs17 billion was finally released last week. He said the pending works include the installation of a video surveillance system and marking in parking, while among the completed works include the installation of seats. Additionally, 45 male toilets with urinal troughs and 90 toilets for females have been installed.
“Namboole is now a smart stadium; you will only access it with a digitally purchased ticket. The system is already operational and ready for testing,” he said.
Speaker Anita Among expressed her impression with the UPDF Engineering Brigade for their work at Namboole Stadium. However, she urged them to quickly finish up the renovation.
“Before the money was released, completion was forecasted to take one month. Now that you have the money, we can talk about two weeks because our interest is to host the games,” she said.