The Speaker of Uganda Parliament, Anita Annet Among, Monday inspected the ongoing renovation works at Mandela National Stadium (Namboole) following the refusal by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to approve the Shs80bn renovation works undertaken by Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF) Engineering Brigade.
"This morning, we visited Mandela National Stadium Namboole to inspect the progress of the ongoing construction works. I urged the responsible authorities to expedite the construction work and make necessary changes to ensure we can host games at the stadium," the Speaker said in a brief message on X (formerly Twitter).
She added: "Furthermore, I requested the stadium management to clear the parking space and make it available for sports-related activities. I would like to thank the Engineering Brigade of Uganda Peoples' Defence Forces for their exceptional work so far."
The pending works include the installation of the video surveillance system, and marking in parking, while among the completed works include the installation of seats, 45 male toilets with urinal troughs & 90 toilets for females are said to have been installed.
Peter Seku Kidemuka, the UPDF Project Engineer, for Mandela National Stadium, said that the construction of the perimeter at Namboole cost Shs3.8Bn and the Army was able to secure all the 128acres of land, from several squatters including a witch doctor who had claimed ownership of part of the land.
"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 he had to ensure he goes away," said Kidemuka.
He added that the grass planted at the Namboole pitch was imported from Portugal and the grass took only 7days to germinate.