Trouble brews at netball federation as Minister orders Babirye out of office

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT |   Sports and Education Minister, Janet Museveni, has once again ordered the Uganda Netball Federation (UNF) president Sarah Babirye Kityo to refrain from resuming her office until investigations on her are concluded. Janet Museveni conveyed this directive in a October 4, 2023 letter, to the Chairperson of the National Council of Sports, Ambrose Tashobya, instructing him to ensure that Kityo vacates office immediately.

The letter directs that no further funding be extended to the Uganda Netball Federation until the issues of leadership and governance are resolved. Additionally, the letter instructs the NCS Chairman to withdraw the certificate of recognition from the Uganda Netball Federation if they fail to meet the requirements of a National Sports Federation. The letter also confirms Brig. General Flavia Byekwaso is the acting President of the federation.

It states, “In the interim, Brig. General Flavia Byekwaso should continue to act in the position of Acting President of the Uganda Netball Federation, following my earlier directive dated July 24, until further guidance is provided by my office upon receipt of the report from the Criminal Investigation Department of the Uganda Police Force.”  This isn’t the first time the Minister has ordered the Netball president to stay away from the office to pave the way for investigations.

In April 2023, she convened a high-level meeting at State House, Nakasero, attended by officials from the Ministry of Education and Sports, the National Council of Sports, and UNF. During this meeting, she instructed Kityo to step aside for three months, allowing investigations into allegations of mistreatment of players during the 2021 Pent Series, player harassment, misappropriation of funds, and failure to account for funds. After the three-month suspension, Kityo returned to her office, but her return was marred by a confrontation on the premises.

A group of armed policemen, ordered by Byekwaso, attempted to evict her. Behind closed doors, negotiations occurred between Byekwaso and Kityo, with the former seeking an authorization letter for Babirye’s return. However, Babirye contested the need for such a letter, as she claimed she had never received an official suspension notice. The situation almost escalated to violence until Byekwaso received a message from an unidentified source, ultimately allowing Babirye to regain access to her office.

However, this action reportedly irked the Minister, who subsequently issued a letter directing Babirye to stay away from UNF premises until the completion and discussion of the reports from the offices of the Attorney General, Auditor General, and the Police’s Criminal Investigations Directorate. Since her controversial return to the office, a conflict has persisted between Kityo and her Vice President Byekwaso.

Last month, Kityo chaired an Executive meeting that resolved to end Byekwaso’s interim tenure, citing her failure to provide a report on the She Cranes World Cup campaign.  However, this move occurred despite the Minister’s previous warnings for Kityo to refrain from the office until investigations against her were concluded, which allegedly aggravated the Minister. Attempts to obtain a comment from Kityo were unsuccessful, as she did not respond to questions sent to her known contact number.

Speaking to journalists at the TLC arena in Kamwokya, where she was presiding over the Independence Netball Cup, Byekwaso reiterated that Kityo had been sent on leave in April for investigation, and that fact remained unchanged, making her the acting head of the netball governing body.

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