Situated in the heart of Mbale Town lies the main recreational facility – Mbale Municipal Stadium, sitting on a vast 4 hectares of land.
The stadium has a rich history of origin owing its existence as far back as the early 50’s in the colonial days.
Current stadium manager, Ali Madoi, 65, freshly narrates the stadium’s detailed metamorphosis with the ease of a neurosurgeon in a laboratory pre and post analytical assignment.
The stadium was established and owned by the Indians in the 1950’s until National Council of Sports [NCS] and the ministry of rehabilitation took over its management under the President Obote’s regime in early 1980 and it was all green and well maintained.
Since 1980, Mbale Municipal stadium has gone through 10 different managerial administrative regimes from James Magumba (the first manager), Baraza Musamya, Anthony Balinyme, Rajab Kaweesi, John Ganyanya, Herbert Mulekya to the hands of the current manager, who started work 15 years ago.
Stadium manager, Ali Madoi who has not received salary in 15 years
At its best, the stadium boasts of having hosted three different CECAFA senior challenge cup championships in 1984, 1992 and lately 2002, several high profile Uganda Cup and league matches.
Bare Ground:
The current state of the stadium is rather appalling as the all green playing surface has eroded paving way for a bare ground – exposing players to high likelihood of bruises when they fall down.
The little grass that has remained is on the side lines and is fodder to cattle and goats of the Municipality.
Dirty Dressing Rooms:
The once glittering dressing rooms are decimated by uncollected waste and are a safe haven for the wasps and webs. The internal perimeter fencing has on one occasion too many tempted the mushrooming scrap scavengers who cut the poles and iron wire mesh for quick money from the scrap buyers in Mbale, Jinja and Kampala.
I maintain this place [stadium] alone. What the municipality does is to hire the stadium for music concerts, pastors for crusades, trade expos and football matches, but nobody returns a coin to maintain the place
Madoi cries.
The stadium, at its current state is home to five football teams who train daily at different intervals. FUFA Big league side, CRO and regional outfits, Mbale Heroes, Kataka F.C, CRO Junior and Kataka Junior football clubs all train at Mbale Stadium.
Smelly and Dirty Toilets:
The stadium places of convenience are a ‘no go zone’. One is left with two options than use the Mbale stadium toilets.
You either ‘postpone the act’ to a future date or rush out at lightening pace to the nearby building structures outside the stadium.
Shaky Weakened Perimeter Wall Fencing:
As you are reading this, do not be shocked if you are suddenly bombarded by an avalanche of tweets, Google alerts, face book updates and the like notifying you that the outside wall fencing at Mbale stadium has collapsed and killed masses.
Since the 1950’s the wall has duly served its intended purpose and it has long outlived its usefulness. Cracks, holes decimated the once porous perimeter fence and unless something urgent is done, a calamity in Mbale looms.
Seating Stands:
The sitting stands too like the wall are ‘tired’ and moreover a section at the main stadium is unfinished. So are the exit and entry gates that lie rusted with many no longer opened – thus exposing the spectators to risks of stampedes if the unfortunate but much expected riots come by.
The Masaba Gate which was last opened in 2002
But Who is responsible?
Madoi, the current stadium manager reports to the Mbale Senior Assistant Town clerk, James Wambedde, who ironically has never visited the stadium since his appointment 7 years ago.
I have never seen town clerk anywhere around this facility but he normally sends letters acknowledging to permit non sporting activities after he has been paid
Wambedde neither denies nor confirms having visited the stadium in his tenure but quickly flashes the development plans of the stadium.
We have received U.shs 1 Billion for the renovation of the stadium infrastructure with modern dressing rooms, strong internal fencing, wall renovation and a fresh re-greening program.
According to the town clerk, the works on Mbale Stadium are expected to commence by May 2015 but until then, Mbale Stadium is a total disgrace by its current appearance.
