President Museveni in company of his wife and the minister of education and sports Janet Kataha, officially opened the Hoima City stadium on Wednesday, 24th December, 2025.
Museveni said that the stadium will bring development in Bunyoro while the First Lady hailed the Turkish contractors Summa for delivering the facility five months ahead of time.
“I welcome the doubters of our revolutionary methods to Hoima, to Lira, and to different corners of Uganda to see for themselves the results and opportunities being created,” Museveni noted.
The president added that such developments, together with the commissioning of Hoima City Stadium, one of the ten facilities Uganda is putting in place in preparation to host the Africa Cup of Nations in 2027 alongside Kenya and Tanzania, are moments of great pride for the country.
The official opening was by invite and attracted a reasonable number that included among others the deputy speaker of parliament Thomas Tayebwa, Prime Minister Robinah Nabanja, Government chief whip Hamson Obua, state minister for sport Peter Ogwang, mstate minister for higher education Dr. John Chrysostom Muyingo, Minister of Energy and Mineral Development Ruth Nankabirwa, The State Minister for Youth and Children Affairs, Minister Balaam, National council of sports (NCS) leadership, government officials, members of parliament, National resistance movement and local government leaders as well as the Turkish contractors Summa.
The Deputy Speaker, Tayebwa, called the landmark project a source of great national pride and a powerful symbol of government commitment to investing in sports, nurturing football talent, and preparing Uganda to co-host the 2027 AFCON alongside Tanzania and Kenya.
“Hoima Stadium is more than a sports facility; it is a catalyst for growth. It will transform the Bunyoro sub-region, attract investment in hospitality and infrastructure, and inject new energy into the local economy as footballers and fans come to play and watch sporting events,” echoed Tayebwa.
“National Council of Sports is now directly in charge and full management of this facility and will have money to maintain this facility to maintain it at the shape we have found till Afcon 2027,” revealed minister Ogwang.
According to government chief whip, Obua, this modern facility is a major milestone for Hoima City, the Bunyoro sub-region, and Uganda as a whole.
“It demonstrates the NRM government’s commitment to sports infrastructure, youth empowerment, and national development, while creating opportunities for employment, tourism, and local economic growth,” he said.
KEY FACTS ABOUT HOIMA STADIUM
Project Duration -18 months
Defects liability period -12 months
Commencement Date – 01-09-2024
Official Completion Date 28-02-2026
Total Site Area – 16.8 hectares (168,000sqm)
Total Seat Capacity – 20k
Total Parking Lots – 839 (720 open + 119 closed)
Number of VVIP/VIP suites.
1 Presidential Suite + 12 Sky boxes and VIP lounges.
Number of elevators – 8 (2 VVIP,2VIP,3PWD,1 service elevator)
Number of WC – 59 sanitary units and 13 disabled units
Dressing Room – four units
Press conference room-50 seats capacity
Number of concession units – 10 units (710sqm)
Number of retail units – 5
Staff deployed during the construction was 1067 of which 732(69%) were Ugandan,266 (25%) Turkish and 69 (6%) third country personnel.
Cost – USD129M (UGX500BN)
