By Sadique Bamwita
ENTEBBE
The State Minister for Sports, Peter Ogwang has warned UPE/USE School heads against turning the government program into a money making venture thereby increasing drop –out rates.
The Minister sounded the warning on August 30, 2026 while launching the 2026 Shyaka Cup Tournament, at Kiwafu Playgrounds, Entebbe Municipal Council.
Minister Ogwang reminded locals that time for politics is over and that as government, their focus is now on implementing the National Resistance Movement Manifesto for the next 5 years.
On the issue of a Seed secondary school, minister Ogwang revealed that government has finalized plans to erect the school in Kigungu zone and visited the area to identify land where the school will be constructed.
Regarding charging school fees in UPE schools, Minister Ogwang said this is illegal and pledged to crack a whip on Head teachers involved in the vice saying the culprits risk being jailed.
“We have realized our children in government schools drop out of school because they can’t afford school fees yet education is supposed to be purely free of charge. Our head teachers have turned the UPE program into a money making venture,” Minister Ogwang explained adding that the vice should stop with immediate effect.
Minister Ogwang noted that NRM popularity is gradually declining because of greedy head teachers who charge poor children school fees yet UPE is meant to benefit all learners across the country at zero cost. He, however advised parents who propose some school fees payments in UPE schools to try private schools where education is paid for
Meanwhile, the Minister was also taken aback by the dire state of Kiwafu Playgrounds, revealing that every year his ministry allocates Shs.40 million to council for sporting activities but unfortunately nothing is on ground. It’s against this backdrop that Minister Ogwang demands council to account for Shs. 200 million allocated to council for sports in the last 5 years.
The Minister’s directive followed grave concerns from locals who claim that because the pitch has no lights, the thugs take advantage of the darkness at night to way lay them during night hours before robbing innocent people their valuables.
Minister Ogwang who officially launched the first edition of Shyaka Tournament, which saw Lugonjo Fc defeat Kiwafu Central FC 3-2, expressed displeasure on the state of Kiwafu Playgrounds and pledged to deploy his technical team which will set up the state of the Art Artificial Turf under the Legacy project AFCON 2027.
“We need good pitches. I hereby direct council to light Kiwafu Playgrounds. As NRM we have a mission to accomplish here and we are still here,” Minister Ogwang said.
Minister Ogwang who donated two balls to each of the 24 villages which make Entebbe municipality, further pledged to set up a presidential skilling hub in Entebbe to skill single mothers and the youth to became self-reliant.
The Entebbe Municipality Legislator, Stephen Shyaka Gashaija, who initiated the Tournament, called upon locals to work together in peace and harmony saying that tournament is intended to unite the people of Entebbe through sporting activities. On this note, he urged locals in their respective villages to support their teams.
Twaha Sempala, the tournament organizer as well as Shyaka’s political assistant, revealed that the 2026 Shyaka Cup Tournament will run from August 30, 2026 to December 20, 2026. He disclosed that tournament will involve football, netball and pool table.
He emphasized that the aim of organizing the tournament is to promote unity among people, identify talent among the youth and to use sports for networking.
Sempala further revealed that winners of the tournament will be rewarded with a trophy, golden medals, a new brand motorcycle and a set of jersey while runners up will earn silver medals, a bull and set of jersey. Third placed team will receive bronze medals, a set of jersey and a goat while fourth placed team will only receive a set of jersey.
Meanwhile, Shyaka Cup Tournament will resume this week on Thursday with Manyago 1 FC tussling it out with Busambaga FC at 4:00 pm.
