President Yoweri Museveni has said Uganda’s limited investment in sports infrastructure was a result of national priorities at the time, not a failure to recognise the importance of sports.
Speaking during a live youth engagement session titled Jazz with Jaja, Museveni pointed to the country’s focus on post conflict recovery and foundational needs as the reason sports development came later.
“When we were doing those minimum recovery efforts, we knew. For instance, even if you take sports,” Museveni said. “Why have we only built Namboole as a national stadium? And repaired Nakivubo? And recently, we had to build Hoima under pressure because of AFCON.”
The President rejected suggestions that sports were overlooked or undervalued, noting that the government was aware of their importance but had to sequence its investments carefully.
“Is it because we didn’t know that football was important, or sports? No, we knew,” he said. “But we had so many things to start with. Which, if you start with, will enable you to do other things.”
Museveni also made a personal reference to his own interest in the game, saying, “Of course, I am a footballer myself,” as he explained the broader thinking behind government planning.
His comments come amid growing public debate over sports funding and infrastructure, especially following Uganda’s recent push to upgrade facilities ahead of hosting AFCON matches in 2027.
