Mbale City could miss out on hosting a proposed regional stadium after the National Council of Sports warned that the available land currently falls far below government requirements under the ongoing sports infrastructure development programme. Authorities in the Bugisu region insist alternative land can still be secured to keep the project within the area.
NCS General Secretary Dr Bernard Ogwel said during a media briefing that Mbale Stadium sits on only seven acres, well short of the minimum 50 acres required for a standard regional stadium. He cautioned that failure to meet this threshold could see the facility shifted to neighbouring districts that have already offered suitable land. “Mbale Stadium has only seven acres against the minimum fifty acres required. If Mbale fails to meet this requirement, the stadium will be hosted by sister districts that have already offered land,” says Dr Ogwel.
Mbale City Public Relations Officer James Kutosi pushed back against concerns the Bugisu region could lose the project. He said authorities remain confident land can be identified either within the city or in the wider Mbale District if the government allocates the stadium to the region. “As a city, we may not currently have that land, but if the stadium is allocated to this region, we shall find alternative land, either within Mbale City or in Mbale District,” says Kutosi.
Kutosi added that the city has not yet received formal communication from NCS detailing the land requirements and urged renewed engagement between both parties to ensure the region benefits from the national stadium expansion plan.
Government plans also target construction of a regional stadium in the Kigezi region, where land availability has presented similar challenges, though talks between government and the Tooro Kingdom over land allocation are said to be progressing.
