The President of Federation of Uganda Football Association (FUFA), Moses Magogo (pictured) and the Ministry of Education and Sports have clashed despite Parliament asking the two to harmonise on a single legislation to govern the sports sector in Uganda, with both sides accusing each other of hijacking proposals.
While appearing before Parliament’s Committee on Education and Sports, Magogo, who doubles as the Budiope East MP, found fault with the naming of the bill where Government had proposed; Physical Activity and Sports Bill, arguing that the physical activity is done for leisure, while sports is done professionally.
He defended his nomenclature of National Sports Bill, saying: “Because physical activity takes away the actual challenge that the bill is addressing and there is a very big challenge between physical activity and sports, physical activity is mostly done for leisure but sports isn’t just recreational but also professional.”
Magogo also accused the Ministry of Education of hijacking one of the schedules he had attached on his bill listing the 20 sports facilities that should be renovated by Government, an accusation Peter Ogwang, Minister of State for Sports simply laughed off.
The Budiope East MP also denied claims that a harmonization meeting was held with Government, prompting the Committee Chairperson, John Twesigye to rule that since both sides failed to come up with one position, the Committee will consider the two bills and come up with one legislation.
Minister Ogwang defended the decision to enact a sports legislation arguing that the National Council of Sports Act 1948 is inadequate to address the current challenges of sports administration and management in Uganda, and is limited to only amateur competitive sports and does not provide for commercialization of sports or professionalism of sports or the current global trends in sports development, management and practices and therefore to a large extent inhibits the development of sports in Uganda.
“There was therefore need for the Physical Activity and Sports Bill in line with and responsive to modern national and international sports policies, conventions and the National Physical Education and Sports Policy of Uganda of 2004,” said Ogwang.
