In Luweero, Uganda, the LCV Chairperson, Erastus Kibirango, and the District National Resistance Movement Party (NRM) leader, Ronald Ndawula, have found themselves at odds regarding the renovation of Kasana Playground. This playground, situated in Luwero town council and established in the 1970s to foster sports activities, has long suffered from a lack of essential facilities, making it unsuitable for hosting district and national games.
Recently, Ndawula unveiled plans to redevelop the playground for national games, presenting 100 bags of cement and sand as the initial materials to be used in painting the playground’s perimeter wall. As a former LC 5 Chairman, Ndawula also proposed constructing dressing rooms for players and other necessary facilities.
Kibirango, on the other hand, acknowledges the support for redeveloping the playground but insists that all well-wishers must adhere to government procedures. He suggested that Ndawula hand over the 100 bags of cement and other building materials to the district, which can then transfer them to the committee responsible for managing the playground. The district council has already allocated a budget of 100 million Shillings per financial year for the renovation, potentially overlapping with Ndawula’s plans.
Ndawula, however, expressed reluctance to hand over the building materials to the district due to concerns about bureaucracy and potential corruption. He highlighted his prior efforts to enhance the playground during his tenure as the LCIII Chairperson for the town council and as the District chairperson. He indicated that he would present the building plan to district technocrats, who would decide whether to approve it.
The approval of Ndawula’s plan and the commencement of preliminary painting on the playground’s perimeter wall remain uncertain. This isn’t the first time the two leaders have clashed over the Kasana Playground. Earlier in the year, Kibirango blocked Ndawula’s attempt to acquire a portion of the land for constructing party offices. In 2019, veterans obtained a land title for part of the playground’s parking yard and registered it in the name of retired military personnel, which caused public controversy. Kibirango warned the NRM secretariat against the move, vowing to challenge the land title in court on the grounds of alleged forgery of signatures by the veterans to acquire the land. In response, the NRM Secretariat withdrew its interest in the land.
