Rally driver and businessman Rajiv Ruparelia has said that he has plans to construct a multi-purpose stadium to help promote and develop sporting talents in Kampala.
Rajiv said while appearing on NBS TV’s Lunch Time Sports show on Wednesday. He said the stadium will be established on the contested land in Kololo.
“I want to build a football stadium, a volleyball court, tennis court, all-weather pitch, gym and a conference facility for all the sports fraternity to use. Of course there will be a fee, but a normal fee to use the facility,” he said.
Rajiv’s plans to develop modern sports facilities that offer employment opportunities to people and also a source of government revenue through tax collection but has a challenge with Kololo Secondary School which is fighting for the playground.
The land happens to be between Kololo Secondary School and Premier Academy, and it is jointly used by the two entities as a football playground.
“Some people want to grab the land. They want to be land grabbers. Unfortunately this is not good for our society,” he said.
“It is not Kololo SS land. The land belongs to Ruparelia Group, and is between Premier academy and Kololo SS, and jointly used by the two as a sports field.”
“They tell us they have the ability to develop it. They had all the time in the world to develop it, but they didn’t. It shocks me that they want to develop it at a time when I have the title and we also want to develop it,” Rajiv added.
He said his first step is to build a wall encircling the land, so as to control the inflow and outflow of people and that the project would take two to three years to be completed.
The Ruparelia Group Managing Director revealed that he must go on with his plans of developing the area, regardless of anything.
“The grabbers use the LCs, they give some small money. I know who they give money to and what they do. They incite violence to try to stop development. It is extremely sad to try to take advantage of poor people like this,” Rajiv stated.
