Museveni opens new 20,000-seat stadium in Hoima City

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President Yoweri Museveni has opened Uganda’s new 20,000-seat stadium in Hoima City as part of preparations for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament.

Hoima City Stadium is one of ten facilities Uganda is putting in place ahead of the continental showpiece, which the country will co-host with Kenya and Tanzania.

Museveni, who was accompanied by the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Museveni, showed off his football skills by kicking a ball during the ceremony held on Wednesday, December 24, 2025.

Museveni accompanied by the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Museveni. (Courtesy)

The President, who is campaigning for a seventh elected term next year, used the event to invite critics of what he described as the government’s revolutionary methods to visit Hoima, Lira and other parts of the country to see the results and opportunities being created.

In a statement issued via X, formerly Twitter, shortly after the ceremony, Museveni said the event had also been attended by the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa.

He said he had recently learnt that electric buses manufactured by Kiira Motors Corporation had travelled by road all the way to South Africa, with the company already securing an initial order of 450 units.

“This is precisely the kind of progress we have been talking about,” Museveni, the National Resistance Movement flag bearer in the forthcoming general election, said.

He noted that such developments, together with the commissioning of Hoima City Stadium, were moments of great pride for the country.

“I join Maama Janet to congratulate the Turkish company, Summa, for the good work done. We shall continue to work together and do even more. I thank you and wish you a Merry Christmas,” he said.