The Shadow Minister for Sports, Hon. Kayemba Geoffrey Ssolo, has called for an equitable allocation of public funds across all sports disciplines, criticizing the government’s heavy focus on football at the expense of other sports.
His proposal, contained in the Opposition’s Alternative Policy Statement for the 2025/26 financial year, prioritizes professionalizing the sector and ensuring fair distribution of resources.
Hon. Kayemba highlighted the disproportionate funding football receives, noting that other sports like netball, boxing, volleyball, swimming, and rugby remain significantly underfunded.
For instance, while the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) received UGX 14 billion in the 2024/25 financial year, netball and 15 other federations were allocated a mere UGX 267 million each.
This imbalance, he argued, stifles talent development and hampers the growth of other sports.
“Provision of equal funds to all disciplines will enable the identification and nurturing of talent at grassroots levels, providing a solid foundation for sports development programs,” Hon. Kayemba stated.
His call comes amid recent budget cuts by the National Council of Sports (NCS) for the 2024/25 financial year.
Despite the reductions, the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) remained the biggest beneficiary, receiving UGX 14 billion, down from UGX 17 billion in 2023/24.
Other sports saw significant cuts, with athletics, rugby, and motorsport each receiving Sh2.4 billion, while netball and 15 other federations were allocated Sh267 million each.
Meanwhile, 28 federations, including sports like judo, weightlifting, and taekwondo, were left with just Sh10 million each.
The unequal distribution of funds has already impacted Uganda’s participation in international competitions with it becoming a common case of the different national teams pulling out because of insufficient resources.
Hon. Kayemba also emphasized the need to professionalise human resources in the sports sector, citing the importance of training coaches and trainers to meet international standards.
“An efficient human resource plays a key role in the success of the sports sector since they are regarded as a catalyst for efficient standards of management in any industry,” he stated.
