What began as a major infrastructure project is steadily taking shape as one of Uganda’s most ambitious sporting complexes, with the Akii-Bua Olympic Stadium in Lira City now approaching the final stages of construction.
The scale of the project became particularly evident when Parliament’s Committee on Education and Sports visited the facility as part of its inspection tour of Uganda’s sports infrastructure.
The committee, led by Vice Chairman Hon. Emmanuel Ongiertho, travelled to Lira after visiting the National High Altitude Training Centre in Teryet, Kapchorwa, the previous day. In Lira, the legislators were taken on a guided tour of the stadium by representatives of the contractor, SAMCO, alongside National Council of Sports (NCS) General Secretary Dr Bernard Patrick Ogwel, NCS Board members, top management, local leaders and other stakeholders.
The visit offered the committee an opportunity to assess first-hand the progress of a project that is expected to play an important role in Uganda’s preparations to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
The Akii-Bua project is being developed as a multi-purpose sports complex rather than simply a football stadium.
At its centre is a 20,000-seater stadium featuring a football pitch and athletics track. The complex also includes an outdoor training pitch with its own running track, two five-a-side artificial turf pitches with changing facilities, a clubhouse, a 60-bed athlete hostel, an indoor arena, a swimming pool and extensive parking.
The wider project is designed to provide facilities for several sporting disciplines while also creating space for training, accommodation, recreation and commercial activity.
During the parliamentary inspection, SAMCO engineers reported that the project had reached about 82 per cent completion. Other recent assessments have placed progress at different levels depending on the specific component under construction, reflecting the rapid pace of work across the site.
The committee members were visibly impressed by both the scale and the quality of the work completed so far.
The project is being undertaken by Egyptian construction company SAMCO National Construction Company in partnership with Khater Sports, with the overall investment reported at approximately US$129 million.
Beyond the impressive construction progress, the parliamentary delegation raised a more important question: what happens to the facility after the 2027 tournament?
The committee challenged the National Council of Sports to ensure that the stadium is properly maintained and remains in regular use after AFCON. The Stadium is designated to serve as a backup or standby venue for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
For the legislators, the value of such a major investment will ultimately depend on how effectively it serves the people of Lango and the wider Ugandan sporting community long after the tournament has ended.
The stadium has the potential to become a major economic and sporting asset for Lira City, generating opportunities through sporting events, training camps, accommodation, recreation and commercial activities.
That potential, however, will require a clear maintenance and utilisation strategy. A modern stadium can quickly lose its value if facilities are underused or poorly maintained. The challenge for NCS and other stakeholders will therefore be to turn Akii-Bua from a completed construction project into a living sporting ecosystem.
The committee also expressed concern over the progress of some of the supporting training grounds that are expected to complement the main stadium.
Lira’s Pece Stadium and the Gulu University training ground have not progressed at the same pace as Akii-Bua, raising questions about whether the wider infrastructure programme will be ready in time to fully support the tournament.
However, the UPDF Engineering Brigade assured the legislators that the delays were largely linked to the later commencement of works and other challenges encountered during construction.
The engineers maintained that the facilities would be completed within their respective timelines.
The supporting venues are important because a major tournament such as AFCON requires more than the main competition stadium. Training pitches, team facilities and supporting infrastructure are essential components of the tournament preparation and the long-term utility of the investment.
For Lira and the wider Lango sub-region, the emergence of Akii-Bua Olympic Stadium represents more than the construction of another sports venue.
The stadium is named after Uganda’s legendary Olympic hurdler John Akii-Bua, whose historic 400-metre hurdles gold medal at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games remains one of the defining moments in Uganda’s sporting history.
The new complex therefore carries both a sporting and symbolic significance. With construction advancing rapidly, the focus is gradually shifting from whether the stadium will be completed to how it will be managed, utilised and sustained once the builders leave.