Should delayed re-opening of Namboole be a cause for worry? 

Uganda is racing against time to complete the renovation of Mandela National stadium in order to host both continental and World Cup qualifiers.

The recent Caf report and the test Uganda Premier League games indicate that the facility still needs more time to address the gaps that have delayed the re-opening of this sports complex. The renovation has so far cost the government Shs 97bn.

It goes without saying that the UPDF Engineering Brigade has done a good job of renovating the stadium beyond expectations. However, there is a lot more that is needed before we can dream of hosting a major tournament.

Besides the Fifa World Cup qualifiers, where  Uganda is set to host Botswana and Algeria in June, Uganda will also co-host the 2024 African Football Championship (CHAN), alongside  Kenya and Tanzania. But going by the Car report, it might be difficult for us to have the stadium ready for CHAN and other relevant continental games.

The Caf report released in Apirl noted that set deadline for the renovation completion prior to CHAN is unrealistic given the scale of work and the current state of the stadium. Caf also wants the demolition and expansion of some sections of the facility.

Since last year, ministers in the Education and Sports ministry have been giving conflicting deadlines for the re-opening of Namboole. According to Peter Ogwang, the state minister for Sports, the facility will be ready for the June qualifying games.

Last Wednesday when the stadium hosted two test UPL matches, it helped the Namboole management see the gaps that need to be addressed. The crucial ones include the state of the access roads, the traffic, ticketing problems, fan safety to and from the stadium, and the substandard floodlights, among others.

Though government indicate that new floodlights will soon in the country by May 27, it remains to be seen whether they will meet Can standards.  Meanwhile, although the old  stadium capacity was 40,818, Caf insists that some seats should be removed to have the capacity reduced to 38,000. This new development stems from the stadium’s structural posts, which obstruct the visibility of the spectators.

The report also indicated that there is no specific media access to the stadium, no media parking, and that developments related to the press areas have not been completed. Caf has no problem with the move of the media tribunal from the west to the east, which is underway, but the location and flow management are not well defined.

There is currently a crossing of categories due to the absence of mixes zones. The conference rooms are also not yet set up. The wall in the middle of the press conference room is to be demolished in order to increase the dimension of the room. Caf also wants the media centre wall removed and wants the centre equipped with all the necessary materials, such as TVs and other broadcasting gadgets.

The report also talked about the anti-doping control room, which is yet to be organised with the necessary equipment. Can also wants the tier capacities of the presidential, VVIP, VIP, and hospitality lounges to be increased and defined in a proper manner to meet the international standard.

Caf also stressed that the facility should have electric ice baths, which are not planned in the project, while the rooms for ball boys and flag bearers are defined but unfurnished.

A new modern LED scoreboard must be purchased to replace the old one, while the running track (tartan) needs to be placed. The playing surface is fine, but the report was complaining about the missing goal posts and the team dugout (technical seats), which were missing at the time Caf commissioned the facility.

Another area where Caf questioned is the public parking, whose capacity of parking spaces is not known and yet to be demarcated. According to Ogwang, who talked to the press recently, most of the things that were raised by Caf are already bought and available at Namboole, besides the floodlights.

Recently, the Finance ministry released the final batch of Shs 17bn to cater for the remaining areas, as pointed out by Caf. Hopefully, this might end the hide-and-seek game the country has witnessed for a year!