President Museveni and the First Lady Janet Museveni have performed the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of Akii-Bua Olympic Stadium in Lira City.
The construction of the $ 129 million state-of-the-art facility is to be undertaken by an Egyptian firm SAMCO National Construction Company and Khater Sports and is projected to take a record period of 20 months to complete.
President Museveni used the occasion to explain the cause of the delay in the construction of the Stadium while at the same time castigating some political actors who are spreading lies tying the upcoming presidential and general elections to the project.
“No Akii-Bua Olympic Stadium, no votes for NRM. So please we are tired of lies. Elections based on lies are not good elections, they should be based on the truth. If you have elections based on lies then you are
killing your country,” Museveni warned.
Museveni explained that the government had to prioritize the implementation of the competing programmes on a small resource envelope.
He said the government did not deliberately abandon sports or the construction of stadiums but had to first deal with the basic necessities in the country like peace, infrastructure, education and health, among
others.
“Therefore, the delay of the construction of Akii-Bua Stadium was not because we did not care, it was because we had to survive first; peace, food, education, health and infrastructure, among others,” he said.
Janet Museveni praised God for the event, describing it as a new chapter in the sports sub-sector. She commended President Museveni for supporting sports in the country.
“Thank you, Mr. President, for always finding time in your busy schedule to be part of our sports events and for your commitment to the development of Sports in the nation,” she said.
She additionally acknowledged the guidance the president has offered to the young generation of the country.
“You have guided us; you have cheered our young people on. Some of them look up to you as their coach and cheerleader. We cannot thank you enough,” the First Lady said.