Mbale City schools team to miss Soroti finals due to lack of funds

Mbale, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | For a second consecutive year, the Mbale City primary ball games team will not participate in this year’s nationals in Soroti city, set for the 26th of August, due to a lack of funds.

In an exclusive interview, Moses Wangwe, the Mbale city sports officer, expressed deep regret over the situation, stating that the city has informed them it lacks the funds necessary to conduct sports activities.

“In 2023, the Inspector General of Government (IGG) blocked the Head Teachers’ Association from contributing to ball games, so the whole funding now comes from the City Clerk,” Wangwe explained. The team needed approximately UGX 20 million to make this trip. Unfortunately, this is the second time in recent years that primary city school teams have been forced to withdraw from national tournaments due to financial constraints.

In 2023, the team failed to participate at the national level in Masaka for the same reason. The team was supposed to present four disciplines for both boys and girls, including Football, Netball, Volleyball, and Handball. According to Mr. Wangwe, each discipline requires about 15 participants, amounting to over 120 athletes.

Fatinah Namakago, the chairperson of games and sports in Mbale city, acknowledged the challenge but mentioned that it arose because the city is set to host the Primary School National Music Festival.

“Unless there is another source of funds, but the only source of income we have is UPE, so we don’t have enough funds to organize both music and ball games. So, the Head Teachers’ Association sat and found it vital to let one go and organize the other,” said Fatinah.

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