The construction works at Hoima City Stadium have kicked off, with M/S Summa, the Turkish construction company, embarking on site clearing and land surveying.
Appearing on NBS Sport, Ambrose Tashobya, Chairman of the National Council of Sports (NCS), confirmed the commencement of the project and highlighted the groundwork currently being conducted.
“At Hoima right now, the contractor is on the ground, doing geo-technical surveys or soil tests. They are testing the soil to know the bearing capacity and how strong the soil is,” Tashobya explained.
“This information is crucial for the structural engineers (M/S Summa) who are designing and building the stadium,” he added.
Tashobya noted that the landscaping phase for the stadium is expected to start within two to three weeks, with foundation works commencing in mid-November.
“We expect that in two or three weeks, the landscaping will start, to shape the entire site to pave way for construction. By around November 15th, the foundation works will start. I can guarantee that there’s serious work already moving,” Tashobya assured.
He also mentioned that the UPDF Engineering Brigade, which is renovating Mandela National Stadium, Namboole, will be involved in constructing the training facilities ahead of the AFCON 2027 which Uganda is co-hosting.
“UPDF is doing our training facilities. The directive was that they’ll do the training facilities at the stadium, plus other areas. They are currently working on the Kyambogo stadium which will be one of the training facilities,” he said.
The Hoima City Stadium is one of the key venues for Uganda’s joint hosting of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. According to Tashobya, the project contractors are following a strict timeline, with completion and CAF certification set for December 2025.
“The timeline for Hoima City Stadium is 18 months. By December 2025, we must have it CAF Certified,” Tashobya stated confidently.
Addressing any skepticism regarding the timeline, he added, “You can’t doubt M/S Summa. They have done the renovation of Amahoro Stadium in Rwanda in 18 months, and that renovation was more complicated as they were expanding the stadium capacity. Summa will be working 24/7, so they will finish within the set time frame.”
Parliament approved a budget of Shs152 billion for the stadium’s construction in May this year. Following this, the government signed a Memorandum of Understanding with M/S Summa in June for the construction of the 20,000-seater multi-purpose stadium, ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
Hon. Pius Wakabi, Member of Parliament for Bugahya County, where the stadium is being built, expressed the excitement and anticipation among the locals in Hoima.
“As the people of Hoima, we’re really very excited because real work has now started on the site. Bush clearing has started, and I’m sure that by next week the machines will be on the ground,” Wakabi shared.
Wakabi also highlighted the economic benefits the project will bring to the region.
“Though the project will not employ everyone, I’m sure very many people will get employment opportunities as the construction goes on,” he noted.
