Contractor SUMMA has officially handed over the completed Hoima City Stadium to the National Council of Sports (NCS), setting the stage for its commissioning by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on Christmas Eve.
The handover marks a major milestone in Uganda’s sports infrastructure drive and delivers a long-awaited flagship facility for the Bunyoro sub-region, which has historically lacked a modern multi-sports complex of national standard.
The technical handover ceremony took place in Hoima City in the presence of officials from the National Council of Sports, the Ministry of Education and Sports, and the Ministry of Works and Transport, which supervised the project.
Representing the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Sports, Dr Kedrace Turyagenda, the Commissioner for Physical Education and Sports, Rev. Canon Dr Duncans Mugumya, presided over the handover on behalf of government.
The Ministry of Works and Transport Commissioner for Public Structures, Eng. Edward Ssimbwa, representing Permanent Secretary Waiswa Bageya, presented SUMMA with a certificate of completion, formally confirming the successful delivery of the stadium.
SUMMA Project Manager Murat Altun guided officials through the facility’s key components before formally handing over the instruments of the stadium to NCS Board Chairman Ambrose Tashobya. The process was witnessed by NCS board members Moses Omara Anyii, Hajji Zubair Galiwango, Stephen Kiprotich, Piloya Evelyn Gloria and Cecilia Anyakoit, alongside NCS General Secretary Dr Bernard Patrick Ogwel and the council’s senior management team.
Dr Mugumya, Chairman Tashobya and Dr Ogwel jointly thanked President Museveni and the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Maama Janet Museveni, for what they described as decisive leadership, close oversight and full financial support that ensured the project’s completion.
They praised Turkish firm SUMMA for delivering the $129 million stadium five months ahead of schedule, citing efficiency, speed and high construction standards. The officials also commended Project Manager Eng. Ivan Gombya and the Ministry of Works supervision team for maintaining quality control throughout the project cycle.
The handover ceremony drew several dignitaries, including the Special Presidential Assistant on Education and Sports, Gunter Lange, Hoima City Resident City Commissioner Badru Mugabi and Hoima City Mayor Brian Kaboyo.
Beyond the ceremony, the stadium’s completion signals Uganda’s growing readiness to host major continental and international sports events, while also strengthening regional sports development. For Bunyoro, the facility is expected to boost youth talent development, sports tourism and local economic activity.
With the formal handover complete, attention now turns to the presidential commissioning, which is expected to crown the project and mark a historic Christmas moment for Uganda’s sports fraternity.