Members of Parliament have questioned the accountability of Shs20.2 billion spent on the construction of a sports training facility at Kyambogo University after an inspection revealed discrepancies between the approved construction specifications and the works delivered.
The legislators, sitting on Parliament’s Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE), raised questions over missing construction items, reduced quantities of building materials, expensive facilities and reports that the project had been fully paid for despite outstanding works.
The concerns emerged during an inspection of the facility led by committee chairperson and Kyadondo East MP Muwada Nkunyingi, following queries raised by the Auditor General in the 2024/2025 financial year audit.
The committee questioned officials from the National Council of Sports (NCS), Ministry of Works and Transport and UPDF Engineering Brigade, who were involved in the implementation and supervision of the project.
One of the major issues raised was the disappearance of a gatehouse valued at Shs15 million in the original Bills of Quantities (BoQs), which legislators said was not available at the facility.
MPs also discovered discrepancies in the number of windows and doors installed compared with what had been provided for in the original construction specifications.
According to Nkunyingi, the original BoQs provided for 28 windows, but the Auditor General established that only 17 had been installed. During their own inspection, legislators also counted 17 windows, although the project architect maintained that the actual number was 19.
The discrepancies were also evident in the doors, with the original specifications providing for 22, while MPs counted 11 wooden doors and one metallic door. The architect, however, reported 12 timber doors and one metallic door.
Nkunyingi demanded an explanation from the implementing agencies over the changes, questioning the whereabouts of funds allocated to items that were not delivered.
“What happens to the money made for the other windows? And what occasioned the change from 28 windows to 17 windows? If it is not disputed that the BoQ provided for 28, what happened to the other windows?” he asked.
The committee also questioned the expenditure of Shs390 million on 25 changing-room seats, demanding an explanation of how the cost was determined and whether the facility offered value for public money.
The project architect, Maj. Eng. Patrick Asiimwe, told the legislators that a cost appraisal conducted in December 2025 had remeasured the works and reduced their assessed value from Shs390 million to Shs377.9 million.
He explained that the revised assessment accounted for 19 windows and 13 doors, instead of the original provisions of 28 windows and 22 doors.
However, the explanations did little to settle the committee’s questions about who authorised the changes, how the revised costs were determined and what happened to money initially allocated to the items that were not installed.
Other expenditures questioned by MPs included Shs278 million for a perimeter fence, Shs135 million for a transformer, Shs30 million for a borehole and Shs1.2 billion for maintenance equipment.
Legislators particularly demanded clarification on the transformer and borehole, questioning why the two facilities were not identified during the Auditor General’s inspection.
Budadiri East MP Julius Nakiyi also demanded a detailed inventory of the Shs1.2 billion maintenance equipment, including its specifications, procurement records and physical location, to establish whether the items supplied matched what had been approved.
The committee further questioned the arrangements under which the project was implemented, with officials from the UPDF Engineering Brigade and the Auditor General’s office giving differing accounts of how the works were structured.
UPDF Engineering Brigade project engineer Lt. Col. Eng. Peter Seku Kidemuka told the committee that the project was not contractually divided into phases but was implemented through administrative arrangements depending on the availability of government funding.
He explained that the original Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) provided for one project, but the government released money in instalments, forcing the implementing team to prioritise certain facilities.
Kidemuka said the first release amounted to Shs6 billion, which was directed towards essential infrastructure needed to make the facility usable for sporting activities.
He maintained that works not completed during the initial implementation period had been deferred to subsequent stages rather than abandoned.
However, the Auditor General’s representative disputed this account, informing the committee that the project had been implemented in phases, with Shs13.5 billion allocated to the first phase out of the total project funding of approximately Shs20.2 billion.
The representative presented the BoQs for the first phase and indicated that the remaining works were expected to be undertaken during the current financial year.
The conflicting explanations prompted Lugazi Municipality MP Richard Ssalongo Senteza to question the rationale behind prioritising some facilities while leaving others incomplete.
Senteza also demanded an explanation for the proposed conversion of some dressing-room areas into toilets, questioning whether the changes were supported by technical requirements and properly authorised.
Buzaaya County MP Martin Muzaale raised further questions over reports that the project had received full payment before all the construction works were completed.
He demanded that the Ministry of Works explain the basis on which payments were made and whether the completed works had undergone a technical audit to establish their actual value and quality.
The Ministry of Works representatives maintained that their responsibility was to supervise construction, verify completed works and certify expenditure to ensure value for money.
They told the committee that the UPDF Engineering Brigade could not access project funds without certification of completed activities.
However, MPs insisted that the ministry provide documentary evidence, including payment certificates, measurement records, inspection reports and contractual documents, to support its position.
The accountability questions have also raised concerns about Uganda’s preparedness for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which the country will co-host with Kenya and Tanzania.
Elgon North MP Gerald Nangoli questioned whether the Kyambogo facility would be ready for an anticipated Confederation of African Football (CAF) inspection in December, given the outstanding works and unresolved questions surrounding the project.
The facility is among the training grounds being upgraded as part of Uganda’s preparations for the continental football tournament.
During an inspection programme conducted in February 2026, CAF officials assessed Kyambogo University Training Ground alongside other proposed facilities, including Mandela National Stadium, Hoima City Stadium, FUFA Stadium Kadiba and Makerere University Playground.
The assessment covered pitch quality, safety, security, media facilities, team amenities and general infrastructure readiness.
Kidemuka told MPs that the implementing team had prioritised the football pitch, floodlights and dressing rooms to meet the tournament requirements. He also maintained that the transformer and borehole were available, although the committee demanded supporting documents to verify their installation and delivery.
The architect attributed some of the changes to redesigns intended to accommodate requirements arising from the African Nations Championship (CHAN), including adjustments to dressing-room facilities.
The Kyambogo sports complex is being developed under a Memorandum of Understanding signed between Kyambogo University and the National Council of Sports in May 2024, with the UPDF Engineering Brigade undertaking the construction works.
The university has previously described the facility as a strategic investment intended to serve as a training ground for major international football competitions, including CHAN and AFCON 2027.
The project is part of Uganda’s wider sports infrastructure programme aimed at upgrading stadiums and training facilities to meet international standards ahead of the 2027 tournament.
The inquiry also touches on the country’s public financial management and accountability framework, which requires government officials responsible for public resources to demonstrate that funds are properly utilised.
Section 45 of the Public Finance Management Act, 2015, makes accounting officers responsible for controlling the proper use of appropriated funds, maintaining effective internal controls and accounting personally to Parliament for the activities of their respective votes.
Article 163 of the Constitution also empowers the Auditor General to audit public accounts and conduct financial and value-for-money audits of projects involving public funds.
Concluding the inspection, Nkunyingi directed the implementing agencies to submit the original Memorandum of Understanding, Bills of Quantities, cost appraisals, instructions authorising changes to the original designs and records showing how money allocated to incomplete or modified works had been utilised.
The committee is seeking to establish whether the Shs20.2 billion expenditure was properly accounted for and whether the government received the construction works, equipment and facilities for which public funds were released.
