{"id":10667,"date":"2025-12-25T11:06:25","date_gmt":"2025-12-25T11:06:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spicemedia.ug\/spicefm\/?p=10667"},"modified":"2025-12-25T11:20:38","modified_gmt":"2025-12-25T11:20:38","slug":"president-museveni-commissions-hoima-city-stadium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spicemedia.ug\/spicefm\/2025\/12\/25\/president-museveni-commissions-hoima-city-stadium\/","title":{"rendered":"President Museveni Commissions Hoima City Stadium \u200e"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Johnson Kanyesige<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on Tuesday commissioned the 20,000-seater Hoima City Stadium in the Bunyoro sub-region, declaring it a clear signal of Uganda\u2019s readiness to host major regional, continental, and international sports events.\u200e<\/p>\n

\u200eThe USD 130 million facility is one of Uganda\u2019s flagship sports infrastructure projects ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which the country will co-host with Kenya and Tanzania.
\n\u200e
\n\u200eSpeaking during the commissioning ceremony, President Museveni said government investment in sports infrastructure is deliberate and anchored in long-term national planning.<\/p>\n

\u200e\u201cWe are building capacity for the future. These facilities are not for today alone, but for generations to come,\u201d Museveni said.<\/p>\n

\u200eThe President was accompanied by the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Maama Janet Kataha Museveni. He pointed to completed and ongoing projects as evidence of Uganda\u2019s preparedness, including Hoima City Stadium, Akibua Stadium in Lira City, the refurbished Mandela National Stadium, Namboole, and several regional mini stadiums under construction ahead of AFCON 2027.<\/p>\n

\u200e \u201cUganda is now ready to host big tournaments because the infrastructure is being put in place systematically,\u201d the President added.<\/p>\n

\u200eThousands of people from across the Bunyoro sub-region and other parts of the country converged at the stadium for the commissioning. By 9:00 a.m., large crowds had gathered at various entrances, awaiting clearance by security and event officials. Access to the stadium was free, with tickets issued from Hoima City offices.<\/p>\n

One of the highlights of the ceremony was a friendly football match between Kitara FC and KCCA FC, watched by the President as chief guest.<\/p>\n

\u200e\u200eEarlier this week, Turkish construction firm M\/S SUMMA officially handed over the stadium to the National Council of Sports (NCS). Government contracted the firm in June last year to construct the multi-purpose facility as part of AFCON preparations.<\/p>\n

\u200e\u200eLocated in Kyarwiru Cell, Hoima East Division, the stadium is among the venues selected to host AFCON matches. Construction was fully financed through Uganda\u2019s Petroleum Fund, supported by revenues from the country\u2019s oil and gas resources.<\/p>\n

\u200e\u200ePresident Museveni said income from Uganda\u2019s natural resources must translate into visible development.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is why we insist that money from oil must support strategic sectors like infrastructure and sports,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u200e\u200eHoima City Stadium sits on 34 acres of land and meets FIFA and CAF standards. The project scope includes a 20,000-seater main stadium, a 2,000-seater mini arena, a semi-Olympic swimming pool, a standard competition pitch, an outdoor training pitch, running tracks, two basketball courts, two volleyball courts, and 839 parking spaces.<\/p>\n

\u200e\u200eThe facility also features VVIP and VIP suites, a presidential suite, eight elevators, 59 sanitary units including 13 for persons with disabilities, four dressing rooms, a 50-seater press conference hall, and 10 concession and retail units.<\/p>\n

\u200eConstruction works began on September 1, 2024, under the supervision of the Ministry of Works and Transport. The project employed 1,067 workers, 732 of them Ugandans.<\/p>\n

\u200e\u200eThe President said the decision to locate the stadium in Hoima was part of a broader strategy to promote balanced national development.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Johnson Kanyesige President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on Tuesday commissioned the 20,000-seater Hoima City Stadium in the Bunyoro sub-region, declaring it a clear signal of Uganda\u2019s readiness to host major regional, continental, and international sports events.\u200e \u200eThe USD 130 million facility is one of Uganda\u2019s flagship sports infrastructure projects ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":10670,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,11,15],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-10667","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bunyoro","8":"category-national","9":"category-sports"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spicemedia.ug\/spicefm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10667","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spicemedia.ug\/spicefm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spicemedia.ug\/spicefm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spicemedia.ug\/spicefm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spicemedia.ug\/spicefm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10667"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/spicemedia.ug\/spicefm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10667\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10671,"href":"https:\/\/spicemedia.ug\/spicefm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10667\/revisions\/10671"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spicemedia.ug\/spicefm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10670"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spicemedia.ug\/spicefm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spicemedia.ug\/spicefm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10667"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spicemedia.ug\/spicefm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}