TAKEAWAYS

• Peter Ogwang says Phase II of Namboole will cost $60 million (about Shs225 billion).
• The UPDF Engineering Brigade is expected to take over works once contract clearances are finalized.
• CAF’s latest inspection found Uganda’s proposed AFCON venues still below Category 4 standards.

State Minister for Sports, Hon. Peter Ogwang, has assured Ugandans that Mandela National Stadium, Namboole, is headed for yet another major facelift, with government earmarking $60 million (about Shs225 billion) for Phase II works aimed at bringing the facility up to CAF standards.

The minister said the next phase will see the UPDF Engineering Brigade formally retake the site once the contract clearance process is concluded, before embarking on what he described as a full remodeling of the stadium to fit current CAF requirements.

This comes at a time when CAF inspections a few weeks ago pointed out that none of the intended stadiums in East Africa currently meet the required standards ahead of the PAMOJA 2027 AFCON project, increasing pressure on host nations to fast-track upgrades.

Ogwang stressed that the work is no longer about routine renovations but about redesigning parts of a stadium whose original blueprint dates back decades.

“Namboole’s design was of 1970. Today we are dealing with stadium designs of 2024, 2025, and now 2026. These standards keep improving, and we have to align ourselves to them,” Ogwang said.

Among the areas expected to be reworked are the VIP and VVIP lounges, hospitality spaces, media infrastructure, and fan movement systems, sections CAF reportedly highlighted during its latest inspection.

The fresh allocation, however, is likely to reignite public debate, coming barely two years after the stadium underwent an expensive first-phase renovation that also ran into millions.

For many sports observers, the figure raises tough questions about value for money.

Some analysts argue that $60 million is enough to construct a brand-new mid-sized modern stadium, especially considering several comparable arenas across Africa have been delivered within similar budgets.

Still, with AFCON 2027 timelines tightening, government appears to be prioritizing speed and CAF compliance over starting from scratch, betting that a second overhaul of Uganda’s biggest stadium is the fastest route to continental readiness.