Lugogo Indoor Arena project stalls amid land dispute

Two years ago, Turkish construction company Summa officially delivered the design for the Lugogo multi-purpose indoor sports complex, a modern facility with a seating capacity of 15,000.

Construction was scheduled to begin on a facility that would also feature 120 guest rooms, a showroom, a shopping centre, a fitness gym, a swimming pool, and a hockey pitch, among other amenities.

But soon after, the same firm was offered a deal to construct one of Uganda’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2027) venues, the Hoima City Stadium. In just one year, they have completed the works, marking a major milestone in the country's preparations to co-host the 2027 tournament. So, what happened to the Lugogo project that was mooted earlier?

In 2024, the high court issued an injunction barring SUMMA from carrying out any developments after the Uganda Sports Union (USU) claimed Lugogo belonged to them. Although the matter has not yet been resolved, National Council of Sports (NCS) General Secretary Patrick Ogwel told the media on Friday that the NCS is the registered owner of the land title, covering 12.8 acres.

 “Whoever is in the background could be an imposter. And some of these matters are in the court.”

“So, it's prejudicial for me to make comments on that. But take note that the land we have here belongs to the National Council of Sports, and we have the original land title,” Ogwel stated.

He said the President has already guided the Ministry of Education and Sports to undertake the process for Lugogo redevelopment in a letter dated December 24, 2025, addressed to the Minister of Education and Sports, the First Lady, and the Minister of Education and Sports to start the implementation of Lugogo after finishing the projects for AFCON facilities. “So, we are on track. For your information, all other matters have been addressed. What is remaining is allocation of funds by the Ministry of Finance for its implementation.”

He added that the government has also identified 100 acres of land for what will become the first National Sports Academy, encompassing all sports, with funds already available to procure and begin implementation very soon. He said this is on top of the planned regional sports academies in all five regions of Uganda. Ogwel also gave an update on the remaining AFCON 2027 facilities, saying that Akii Bua Olympic Stadium was also on track.

“So far, out of the nine training facilities required by CAF, we already have three. We only have six remaining: the Hoima Boma Ground, which will house the National Sports Academy on one end and the training facility on the other.”

He said they are also going to invest in the Masindi stadium, which they will furnish with a running track, while phase one of the Kyambogo training ground is complete, with the money for phase two already released to the contractors. He said in six months, Kyambogo will be ready with a 5000-seater capacity.

He added that next month, the Makerere University training facility will be commissioned for groundbreaking, and the project is expected to be completed in six months, just like the other projects at Akii Bua, Gulu University, and Lira University. Pece Stadium is also among the stadia earmarked for redevelopment, alongside other regional stadia such as Hoima, Akii Bua, and Kakyeka.

“We want the facilities to be used for the purposes designed for them, and we also want to see that the management of those facilities is professional. In other words, we are going to hire professional management companies to undertake, commercialize, and brand these facilities, especially the one in Hoima.

“The government is expecting to recover its money through non-tax revenue.  And our estimate is about sh9.7b annually,” Ogwel noted.

“The National Council Sports Board is mandated by law to oversee all sports infrastructure in the country. We are not going to create another management board. We will have management companies sign contracts with us to manage such properties.  For federations and associations that want to use them, they have to apply and use the new processes under the public sports infrastructure regulations.”

He said before the AFCON projects, NCS had already approved Akii Bua and Buhinga in Fort Portal for development, and they are only awaiting the release of funds for these projects. He said the feasibility report for Kakyeka is ready.