The Uganda Primary Schools Sports Association (UPSSA) has raised the alarm over delays by the central government in disbursing funds to local governments, warning that the bottlenecks are severely undermining sports and co-curricular activities in primary schools across the country.
Speaking at the opening of the National Kids Athletics and Special Needs Learners Championship in Kabale Municipality, UPSSA President William Bwambale called on government to urgently prioritise the timely release of funds to enable districts to effectively plan and implement school sports programmes.
“The only challenge is the disbursing of the money from the centre to the districts. At times it delays and when it delays, it affects our services at the district,” Bwambale said.
“We want to request that there should be timely disbursing of this money so that the sports officers can do their work.”
The week-long championship, which runs until Monday 12, May 2025, has attracted over 7,000 pupils representing 172 cities, districts, and municipalities from across Uganda.
It includes events for both general athletics and learners with special needs, underscoring the importance of inclusive physical education.
The Assistant Commissioner for Physical Education in the Ministry of Education and Sports, Gilbert Orikiriza, echoed the concern, urging the government to start directly funding district-level sports officers to ensure sustainability of such programmes.
“There’s a growing need to empower sports officers with resources, and this can only happen if government starts allocating funds directly for district-level sports administration,” Orikiriza said.
Representing State Minister for Sports Peter Ogwang, Minister of State for Industry David Bahati acknowledged the concerns and promised to take them back to cabinet for consideration.
He committed to presenting proposals on both the enhancement of salaries for sports teachers and the funding of lower local governments.
“I will take back in my back-to-office report the issue of salary enhancement for sports teachers and the funding of lower governments. Those two offices I will deliver them, and then we can discuss them as cabinet and see what can be done,” said Bahati.
Bahati also used the occasion to encourage discipline among the young participants, urging them to stay away from drugs and other negative influences if they hope to become model athletes and citizens.
The annual championship continues to grow as one of the biggest school sports events in the country, giving children from diverse backgrounds a platform to showcase talent.
However, UPSSA officials warn that without sustained and timely government support, the momentum could be lost—particularly in remote or underfunded districts that depend heavily on central transfers to organise local competitions.
As the events unfold in Kabale, attention now shifts to how quickly the government will act on the financial and policy recommendations raised, amid growing concerns that the current pace of funding disbursement threatens the broader goals of nurturing talent and promoting inclusion through sport.