KCCA paid Shs 100m to play at Kitende

KCCA FC’s 4-5 aggregate elimination from the Caf Confederation Cup by Libyan club Abu Salem FC last weekend, was preceded by news of the Shs 100 million they had to pay for the use of the St Mary’s stadium in Kitende.

This reported charge raised eyebrows in some quarters, leaving questions as why to the fee has recently skyrocketed. The St Mary’s stadium charged Shs 37m to The Cranes, Express FC and URA FC just over a year ago. Football analyst Tom Damulira explained that it all comes down to the monopoly.

“Lawrence Mulindwa, the owner of the stadium, realizes that he is the only one with such a facility and, therefore, going by that, he can charge whatever he wants,” Damulira said.

Nevertheless, prices are determined by prevailing conditions. First, it is possible that the St Mary’s stadium has learnt of how much Fufa paid for The Cranes playing its home games in Egypt and Cameroon, reportedly $30,000 or Shs 110m.

They, therefore, see no reason why they would not charge the same. This brought Damulira to say that Mulindwa, of all people, cannot be oblivious of how tough it is running a football team in this country. So, being reasonable towards other clubs is of the essence, bearing in mind that they do not make much from the gates to recoup such monies.

Going by the turnout on Saturday, September 30 for the Caf game, KCCA reportedly had not more than 2,000 fans in the stands. And with each match ticket costing Shs 10,000, KCCA could have collected Shs 20 million. In fact, bowing out of the Caf Confederation Cup will save KCCA a lot of money.

Otherwise, making it further would have meant that KCCA had to prepare at least Shs 300 million for their three group games in Kitende. This would stretch their budget thin. Some observers view St Mary’s stadium cost as a plot by Vipers SC, to drain their opponents financially.

In the end, once Vipers’ main opposition is financially weakened because of their experiences competing on the continent, stemming from stadium hire, the league suffers.

One BUL FC official remarked in light of the recent development, that when their team played on the continent last year, they spent more money playing at home (Kitende) than away in Egypt on the return leg.

On the other hand, there are those who believe that the high charges levied at the St Mary’s stadium are a wake-up call for clubs to build their own facilities. Vipers CEO Simon Njuba dismissed claims that KCCA paid Shs 100m and insisted the information is confidential. But several sources that confirmed the Kitende stadium’s dubious pricing.

It was reported that last month, Fufa wanted to host the Cecafa women’s Caf Champions League qualifiers in Kitende, but they were charged Shs 400m. They could only afford Shs 250m, which did not suffice. They chose to play at the Fufa Technical Centre in Njeru.

It is worth noting that before Namboole was closed for renovation, Vipers, KCCA, URA and SC Villa were charged between Shs 15m to 20m and host Caf games there.