Uganda stands to lose out on the construction of a 150,000 dollar ultra modern sports complex sponsored by the international Tug Rugby Trust.
The international Tug Rugby Trust intends to build a sports complex in Mbale but a land wrangle there is preventing the project from commencing forcing the sponsors to consider relocating the project to Kenya.
The multi million shillings project involves construction of a stadium with facilities such as changing rooms, meeting rooms and a community resource center, which will foster the development of rugby in Uganda.
Now the Chairman Tug Rugby Trust, Martin Hansford says the donors are getting weary of the land wrangle over the Mbale Rugby Grounds, where the complex is to be constructed.
Hansford says Tug Rugby Trust has already secured funds but cannot commit it to the project without security of tenure for the grounds where it’s to be based. He explains that construction of the complex is to begin in a few months but a land wrangle is threatening the project.
Hansford says failure to resolve the wrangle may force the donors to consider relocating it to Kenya, where Tug Rugby has been offered land to build the complex.
He explains that the complex was to be completed ahead of a planned match between Uganda Rugby Cranes and England Counties in September 2012.
Uganda Rugby Union is locked up in a land wrangle with a group of private developers led by Prof Kiboma Gimui over the Busamaga Rugby Grounds. Prof Kiboma in a recent interview with URN said he legally owns the land after he was granted a land title by the Mbale district land board in 1998. Kiboma referred to Uganda Rugby Union as encroachers on his land.
The assistant town clerk in charge of Wanale Division in Mbale, Robert Wambede recently told URN that he had tried to help rugby union to secure the grounds but some officials of rugby union, who are conniving with the encroachers, frustrated his efforts.
Wambede said the officials kept on updating the encroachers on every step he was taking to recover the grounds forcing him to abandon his plans.
Wambede said he was forced to advise the people claiming ownership of the land to show proof by providing relevant documents.
