Arua City Sports Officer, Lika Muktar (R) and Councilor for Bazaar Ward, Oshino Rashid (L) at a recent event organized by Arua City Boxing Club

By Sabir Musa

Arua

Meager funding for sports sector through Education Department in Arua City Council is cited as one of the major challenges affecting development of sports in the city. Education Department was allocated Shs 14 billion in the current Financial Year, and sports activities are financed using the same budget for the whole financial year.

The Councilor for Bazaar Ward in Arua Central Division, Oshino Rashid reveals that, some members of the council frustrate their effort to improve funding for the sports sector. “There are people who do not technically love sports, I was expecting all these categories of sports being talked about and included in budget since we are approaching the budgeting period. Through the Social Service committee of Arua Central Division, I submitted different sporting activities to budget committee for adoption but they were all dropped” Oshino expressed frustration.

Under sports, a total of Shs 150 million shillings was allocated for school games and Arua City Football Club was allocated Shs 70 million, according to the City Deputy Speaker, Tabu Fred who remains hopeful that funding for the sports sector will improve in coming financial years. “This was based on the budget we saw and we felt that this money will push this club and also school games. Now this money on paper looks very big but when you go to field and see the activities that are being undertaken, you will find that this money is meager but the resource envelope we have under education for sports is very small and that is the challenge,” the Deputy Speaker explained.

Although specific allocation is made for Arua City Football Club and school games, many sports clubs in different categories including rugby, golf, badminton, tennis and boxing among others are still struggling with no, or minimal support from the council.

Arua City Sports Officer, Lika Mukhtar acknowledged the challenge and advice the clubs to register with council. “We are actually committed to support these clubs except that the resource envelope also limits us as council and as being a new city, we have a lot of dynamics and we are yet stabilizing,” he said.

Many of sports clubs within Arua City face major challenges of transport, accommodation, equipment and capacity building as they lack support from council and other stake-holders.