Leaders in Masaka City have introduced their ambitious plans for a state-of-the-art city stadium, marking a significant milestone for sports and recreation in the Greater Masaka area. The proposed Shs16 billion stadium project aims to create a modern sporting facility that can host both national and international events, providing a major boost to the region’s athletic endeavors.
Last October, Masaka City enlisted the services of Cornerstone Designs and Engineering Ltd., at a cost of Shs1.45 billion, to develop the structural designs for the stadium. However, the progress of the work has been notably sluggish, prompting local representatives and officials to call for a more accelerated completion of the designs. Dr. Abed Bwanika, an area legislator representing Kimaanya/Kabonera Municipality, emphasized the importance of the timely utilization of funds allocated by the central government for the project.
Dr. Bwanika, who has been leading efforts to oversee the stadium’s development, expressed concern about the prolonged design phase. “Our plan was to complete that project within three years, but we are behind schedule since the contractor has taken over a year working on the designs. We want the designs to be completed, and we focus on the actual construction work,” he stated in an interview.
The operation director and principal engineer at Cornerstone Designs and Engineering Ltd., Mr. John Lukindu, attributed the delays to challenges with city leadership’s response time after an inception report was submitted. He explained that it took a significant amount of time to obtain approval from the city council. Nevertheless, he remained optimistic about delivering the final designs by the end of the current month.
The government had allocated Shs16 billion for the stadium’s reconstruction, envisioning a contemporary facility with the capacity to host a diverse range of sports events. The initial phase of the project saw the release of Shs6 billion, a portion of which was utilized to hire consultants for the design phase.
In addition to the construction delays, Dr. Bwanika underscored the need to address land encroachment issues surrounding the stadium site. The survey report revealed that the stadium land, measuring 37 decimals, had been encroached upon by entities including Masaka Prisons and Shell Buddu filling station. Dr. Bwanika urged the city authorities to take swift action to evict the encroachers and safeguard the designated stadium area.
Once completed, the upgraded stadium is expected to accommodate up to 15,000 spectators. The facility will feature artificial turf, a swimming pool, and versatile space for various indoor games such as basketball and volleyball courts. These amenities, along with others, are set to transform the stadium into a hub for athletic excellence and community engagement in the Greater Masaka region.
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