UBF President Moses Muhangi has raised a clarion call for increased government support as the National Council of Sports (NCS) initiates a comprehensive nationwide audit of all sports federations and associations. Appearing on 97.7 Record FM’s The Sports Arena hosted by seasoned broadcaster Junior Ssembatya, Muhangi expressed concern over the financial and logistical implications of the newly mandated verification exercise following the June 20 registration deadline set by the Sports Act 2023.
The NCS is set to embark on an intensive five-day fact-finding mission across Uganda’s districts to authenticate the presence and operational footprint of each of the 45 sports bodies that met the legal threshold. Under the new law, a federation must demonstrate functional presence in at least 75% of the country’s districts, while associations must cover at least 50%. Muhangi warned that this ambitious benchmark, while noble in intent, could be crippling in practice due to resource limitations.
“This exercise, though critical, is a blessing in disguise,” Muhangi remarked. “It will expose the harsh realities that federations face, running activities across Uganda with meagre funding is unsustainable. Take Kabadi, for instance, allocated just ten million shillings a year, yet now NCS will spend exponentially more on a five-day verification. That alone should spark a national conversation about sports financing.”
Muhangi lauded grassroots efforts by stakeholders in boxing, such as coach Twaibu Mayanja and Hajji Juma of Kyengera Boxing Club, who have worked relentlessly to expand the sport’s footprint beyond Kampala. He emphasized that, unlike the Ministry of Defense or Education for example with nationwide presence, expecting federations to mirror such reach without matching resources is unrealistic. “Many areas don’t even have police posts,” he noted, “so how do we expect sports offices and infrastructure there?”
With the Sports Act’s implementation now in motion, the spotlight is on NCS to assess legitimacy and impact beyond paperwork. Muhangi believes this process will catalyze meaningful reforms. “It’s time the government recognized the scale of the burden it has placed on federations,” he said. “If this verification is done transparently, it will prove why significant reinvestment in the sector is non-negotiable.”
