The welfare of most sportsmen world over during the challenging times of COVID-19 pandemic has remained the spotlight with varying touching ordeals from the key actors of sport.
Uganda’s case in particular has been a real tug of war for many sportsmen across the divide in the various sporting disciplines.
Since sports was halted by the Government in March 2020 as a mitigation tool to tame the spread of the Coronavirus, various sports personalities were severely affected directly.
With no sports, virtually earning off the sweat became a big challenge as most sportsmen have gone months without pay, whilst others have taken a pay cut from the stipulated and agreed-upon amount.
Kyetume Football Club midfielder Isaac Kirabira has joined the hundreds of sportsmen to cry aloud due to the depressing conditions.
Kirabira who has been living in a rented apartment that he pays Shs 300,000 per month has been forcefully evicted by the landlord.
The former Sports Club Villa and KCCA FC holding midfielder is demanded up to seven months in accumulated arrears amounting to Shs. 2,100,000.
“It is sad that the house I have been renting was closed down by the landlord who is demanding 7 months. Every month I pay Ug.shs 300,000. I cry out for help from all corners of the country. Please help me,” Kirabira appealed.
Kirabira now stays with his sister, a one Nambooze who has helped him seek temporary refuge.
His current club Kyetume Football Club has been dogged by issues of delayed payments to their players and other staff since the forced break off of football.
Kyetume FC’s chairperson Ruben Mubiru Kaggwa, however clarifies he has been paying the player promptly, including the latest transfer of Shs 500,000 to the player’s account on Tuesday, 1st September 2020.
“COVID-19 pandemic affected us very much but as a club, we strived to pay off the players. The player in question should cross-check his accounts well. As far as I know, the latest payment to Kirabira was on Tuesday, 1st September 2020,” Kaggwa said.
Kawowo Sports has established that three-thirds of the Kyetume Football Club players and staff are demanding more than three months. Other players still have pending issues with their sign-on fees which are uncleared thus far.
The new club head coach Charles Livingstone Mbabazi alongside his working technical team started the initial preparations of the club underneath to ensure that they assemble a formidable team.
It has been also revealed that The Slaughters kicked off light pre-season training in small groups of people in respect of social distancing etiquette, just like KCCA FC does at Lugogo.
Other players who have publicly come out to cry for their appealing conditions in welfare include former KCCA and Sports Club Victoria University winger Farouk Kawooya, former SC Villa, and Soana forward Emmanuel Kalyowa, among others.
Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) has on several occasions engaged the Government and Ministry of Health through the National Council of Sports (NCS) on how best football (and sports in general) can systematically return amid the challenging COVID-19 pandemic.
