The Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs has turned down a request from the Ministry of Education and Sports to remove derelict Pioneer Easy Buses from the parking lot at Mandela National Stadium in Namboole.
State Minister for Defence and Veteran Affairs, Jacob Oboth-Oboth, clarified that although the UPDF has the capability, removing the parked buses at Namboole is not part of the agreement signed with the Ministry of Education and Sports.
The UPDF Engineering Brigade is currently in charge of rehabilitating the stadium, including the construction of a perimeter wall, refurbishment of the stadium hotel, and parking marking, but not the removal of parked buses.
The statement from Minister Oboth-Oboth follows a request from State Minister for Sports, Peter Ogwang, asking the UPDF to clear out the buses from the stadium parking lot and mark the parking area.
Minister Oboth-Oboth advised the Ministry of Education and Sports to use legal channels to have the buses removed to facilitate parking renovations.
In the meantime, Kasambya County MP David Kabanda raised concerns over reports that the parking area was leased to Pioneer Easy Bus by the management of Namboole Stadium.
MP Kabanda called on Parliament to investigate the matter further.
Pioneer Easy Bus began operations in Kampala over a decade ago, initially using part of the parking lot at Namboole Stadium for its fleet of buses. However, most of the buses parked there are now inoperable due to mechanical issues.
