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SPEECH OF THE HON. MINISTER OF STATE FOR
EDUCATION AND SPORTS (SPORTS) AT THE OCCASION
OF THE NATIONAL SPORTS federations / ASSOCIATIONS
FORUM HELD TUESDAY 3/1/2023 AT COPPER CHIMNEY
CONFERENCE HALL, LUGOGO
Firstly, I would like to begin my remarks by warmly welcoming
you all to this forum which is a statutory requirement as per the
provisions of the NCS Statutory Instrument of 2014. I must
apologize that much as I had planned to have this Forum before
the expiry of the quarter, this could not be possible because of
the assignments from my political supervisors, which led to the
postponements that were communicated. Kindly accept my
apologies.
Secondly, Dear Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to
extend to you my heartily greetings from my two principals, first
from the political head of the Ministry of Education and Sports,
who is also the First Lady, Mama Janet Kataha Museveni, and also
from my appointing authority and the President of the Republic of
Uganda, His Excellency General Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. They
sent you greetings.
Distinguished Guests Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to thank
the Almighty God for making us sail through the year 2022
successfully and for ushering into 2023. Happy New Year to you
all.
Allow me also to request you to stand up and observe a moment
of silence for our dear ones that departed us in the year that
ended and for the lives that were lost as we entered the New
Year. May the Deceased Souls Rest in Eternal Peace.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the year 2022, has been a very fruitful
for sports in Uganda. As a Country and as our individual sports
disciplines, we registered quite a number of achievements,
Congratulations. We thank God for blessing our country. To the
government of Uganda, Federation/ Association leaders, all
stakeholders and Partners, thank you for making this happen. It
is a unique opportunity for all of us to serve our country and
Uganda in the sports sub sector. Congratulations.
Sport in Uganda has had its own challenges in the past, still has
challenges today and will have challenges in the future.
Inadequate funding, insufficient sports infrastructures, bad
governance and inappropriate legal framework, lack of national
sports policy, tax on sports equipment are still standing in our
way to sports development. It is therefore calls on our collective
responsibility to address ourselves to these emanating challenges
for it to flourish.
As we begin the new year let us collectively work towards the
professionalization of the management of National Sports
Federations/Associations.
To National Sports Federations and Associations, I would like to
caution you, that wrangling has no room in the drive for sports
development in my tenure. Leaders of sports federations should
operate within the parameters of the law and the provisions of
their respective constitutions/statutes and should avoid ‘blame
game’ of their failure to government and or NCS.
For the little time l have spent in this docket as Minister of State
for Sports, l observed issues of bad governance, failure to respect
Constitutions, lack of Accountability and transparency, lack of
managerial capacity, lack of direction (no NF Strategic Plans) to
mention but a few as hindrances. I would therefore like to see
good governance in federations, strategic and responsible
leadership, that is transparent, answerable and accountable to all
stakeholders.
In respect to the legal framework under which sports is regulated
in this country, we all agree that it is not in tandem with the
current trends in sports. I would like to report l presented the
new sports Bill to Cabinet and Parliament, the harmonization of
both the Government and private members bill has taken place
and soon consultations and subsequent discussion and passing of
the bill will take place to pave way for an appropriate sport law
for Uganda.
This Forum offers better platform for wide consultations, and
opportunity for considerations so as to tap diverse experiences of
the various stakeholders in sports sub sector. I would therefore
like hear member present developmental ideas for sport
development not lamentations.
Going forward, the MoES and the National Council of Sports
should embark on these to achieve the following: –
a) Improvement on facility development in sports infrastructures
as a means of maximizing opportunities for all Ugandans to
participate and excel in Sports.
b) Facilitate validation and approval of National Sports Policy and
sports bill before end of FY 2022/2023
c) Align our Strategic interventions and aim at facilitating and
improving the welfare current athletes with rewards and
recognition.
d) Lobby for more funding to increased financial support to
National Sports Association and NCS to adequately facilitate
Sports development programs.
e) Facilitate completion of Government funded National High
Altitude Training Center in Teryet, Kapchorwa, and the facility
shall go a long way in benefiting the training and preparation
of athletes for Sports development.
f) Support the Revival of the district Sports Councils to enhance
grassroot development in all our communities
g) Establishment of Centers of Sports Excellence in different
regions of Uganda, starting with the schools’ systems in
Uganda
h) Facilitate on the reward and recognition scheme for the
recognition of talented Sportswomen and men who bring
National pride to Uganda through Sports.
i) Strengthening capacity building especially for the technical
personnel within the National Sports Associations and PES
j) Enforce compliance to Statutory Instrument No. 38, 2014 (NCS
rules and regulations).
k) Seeking Partnerships for the development of Sports Programs.
Ladies and Gentlemen, having said all this, I now take this
singular duty and honor to declare your forum officially opened.
Thank you for your attention.
FOR GOD AND MY COUNTRY
Dear Members of the 4th Estate,
Good evening. I hope that you have all come into the New Year 2023, in good form and in good health.
I invited you here this afternoon because I found it fitting bring you up to date on the ongoings in the Sports Sector, and I believe the timing to be fitting as we start the calendar year.
For starters, I would like to reiterate to you that 2022 was one of the most successful years in Ugandan sports history, on the international scene. The details are available and you will hear them. It is of utmost importance that we do not lose sight of it for the sake of our gallant and heroic athletes, the men and women preparing them on and off the field, and our country Uganda to which they have brought recognition that has translated into a stronger international diplomatic and political standing, revenue from their earnings, and from the subsequent sports tourism, taxes, as well as domestic and foreign investment.
Secondly, I would like to clarify on the matter of the ongoing Parliamentary Probe into the affairs of the National Council of Sports, that has inevitably garnered a lot of attention and interest from you and from the public. I assure you that is normal and happens in all sectors, and that the NCS management is adhering to all requests from the Parliamentary Committee and availing all the necessary information. Some of the National Federations and Associations have also had their input into proceedings and we will patiently wait for the findings which will help guide our actions going forward, for the good of the Sector. As we wait, I would like to call on the media to exercise professionalism and journalistic ethics, to crosscheck and verify information they receive, and to give all the sides concerned a fair voice in their reports.
As you might have heard, I have also told the National Federations/Associations that wrangling has no room in the drive for sports development in my tenure. The leaders of the federations should operate within the parameters of the law and the provisions of their respective constitutions/statutes, and should avoid blaming their failures on government and NCS.
On the very important issue of funding to the Sector, I would like to again inform the media and public that, despite the Budget increments that were announced at the start of the Financial Year, the actual releases have not been commensurate because the National Treasury has been stretched to the limit by competing demands across the different sectors of government. Again, the details of these releases are available with my team, for you to internalise. In line with that, it should be noted (in light of all the talk going around) that the National Council of Sports has been working on the much-awaited Funding Guidelines for the Sector, and those Guidelines are now pending clearance from the office of the Solicitor General.
I would also like to inform you about the good progress that has been made as far as drafting the new Sports Law is concerned. The draft bill by government, the bill tabled before Parliament by the private member Honourable Moses Magogo, and the contributions of the federations and other stakeholders, are all being harmonized and brought before Parliament, and like I said earlier while addressing the Sports Forum, we should have a new law in place by the end of this January.
Going forward, the MoES and the National Council of Sports should embark on these to achieve the following: –
- Improvement on facility development in sports infrastructures as a means of maximizing opportunities for all Ugandans to participate and excel in Sports.
- Facilitate validation and approval of National Sports Policy and sports bill before end of FY 2022/2023
- Align our Strategic interventions and aim at facilitating and improving the welfare current athletes with rewards and recognition.
- Lobby for more funding to increased financial support to National Sports Association and NCS to adequately facilitate Sports development programs.
- Facilitate completion of Government funded National High Altitude Training Center in Teryet, Kapchorwa, and the facility shall go a long way in benefiting the training and preparation of athletes for Sports development.
- Support the Revival of the district Sports Councils to enhance grassroot development in all our communities
- Establishment of Centers of Sports Excellence in different regions of Uganda, starting with the schools’ systems in Uganda
- Facilitate on the reward and recognition scheme for the recognition of talented Sportswomen and men who bring National pride to Uganda through Sports.
- Strengthening capacity building especially for the technical personnel within the National Sports Associations and PES
- Enforce compliance to Statutory Instrument No. 38, 2014 (NCS rules and regulations).
- Seeking Partnerships for the development of Sports Programs.
I now welcome questions from you, thank you.