By Mark Kawalya
Moses Magogo (MP for Budiope East) has been granted leave to introduce a Private Member’s Bill that will seek to regulate the administration of national sports associations and community sports clubs.
The government official, who is also the President of the Federation of Uganda Football Association (FUFA), seeks to dissolve the existing National Council of Sports and create a new sports agency that will be known as the Uganda Sports Commission.
The MP defended his proposition, saying that the absence of legislation that governs the incorporation and operations of sports-related associations is responsible for the administrative challenges that have for long peppered the sports fraternity.
“The current National Council of Sports Act is obsolete in comparison with modern trends and demands of international sports. There is need to enact legislation to streamline the incorporation, registration, management and recognition of sports associations and sports clubs as well as national sports associations to achieve the objectives of their creation, ” Magogo said.
Further elaborating on his proposal, Moses said the bill will provide a framework for the creation of a Sports Fund that will, among other things, provide a tenable means of funding sports in the country along with setting up a tribunal that will be responsible for settling sports disputes.
All this comes at a time when Uganda, like other nations, needs to harness the great financial potential that sports has for countries as the global sports economy is US $700 billion strong. Similarly, one Ugandan player in the English Premier League can earn enough to comfortably pay the salaries of 100 university professors. The investments that such players would plough into their country would benefit many people, and that’s why robust legislation is crucial to streamline and develop the sports industry.
The Budiope East MP reiterated the need for the legislation, saying it would play a crucial role in fighting vices and enforcing prohibitions relating to issues such as manipulating sports results, doping, and abuse of commercial rights of national sports associations and federations.
He added that the National Sports Bill has been carefully drafted, follows the rules and will be presented to parliament as a move to repeal the 1965 National Council of Sports Act.
The motion was seconded by Tororo DWR MP Sarah Opendi, who reiterated that sports can support the youth with employment as well as improve lifestyles as stipulated in the national health goal of improved wellness, which is trailing that of many countries on the global arena.
