Uganda’s co-hosting of the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) was a milestone moment, reflecting the country’s growing ambition to position itself as a strategic player in sports diplomacy. Being one of three East African nations selected to stage the tournament alongside Tanzania and Kenya was not only about football, it was a defining moment for national prestige, regional tourism, job creation, and an economic boost. It reaffirmed Uganda’s ability to host global events with confidence, even as we prepare for greater opportunities ahead.

Morocco claimed a record third CHAN title by defeating Madagascar 3–2 in the final, which was held in Nairobi on Saturday, August 30th, 2025. This delayed edition, pushed by six months due to unfinished infrastructure, reignited debate about CHAN’s relevance in an already packed football calendar. Yet, for Uganda, the championship offered priceless lessons and visibility. Morocco’s triumph came with an increased prize of $3.5 million, but beyond the numbers, CHAN 2024 showed us something far deeper, the power of football to unite.

GK

CHAN presented another face of Uganda: togetherness, or what we fondly call pamoja-ness. The atmosphere at Mandela National Stadium was electric. The passion of Ugandan fans, their songs, their tears, and their laughter proved that football transcends political and social divides. For ninety minutes, Ugandans became one family, united by hope and pride. Uganda hosted 12 of the 44 games, including a semi-final and the third-place play-off. Although many felt “shortchanged” when Kampala missed out on the opening game and the final, the spirit in Namboole and across the country was undeniable.

But football was not just about entertainment, it was about livelihoods. CHAN fueled a chain of economic opportunities. Street vendors sold flags and vuvuzelas, youth printed and branded jerseys, boda boda riders ferried fans to stadiums, and hotels filled with visitors. Thousands of Ugandans cashed in, reminding us that sports can be a true engine of job creation and prosperity.

Performance-wise, all three East African hosts impressed by reaching the knockout stage, though none advanced to the semi-finals. Tanzania bowed out to champions Morocco, Kenya lost to Madagascar, and Uganda fell to Senegal. Yet, the trio now look ahead to an even bigger challenge: hosting the prestigious Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in 2027. CHAN 2024 was a rehearsal, and AFCON will be the real stage.

For Uganda, preparations are underway. By December 2025, two ultra-modern stadiums, Hoima City Stadium and Akii-Bua Stadium in Lira are expected to be complete. These will complement Mandela National Stadium, with Hoima designated as a main venue and Akii-Bua serving as a contingency. Similar projects are ongoing across the region: Kenya is upgrading Kasarani and Nyayo. While Tanzania has improved Benjamin Mkapa and Amani in Zanzibar. East Africa is getting ready, and AFCON 2027 will showcase that readiness.

One challenge Uganda faced during CHAN was poor publicity. Matches lacked adequate hype, and fans were unfamiliar with e-ticketing systems. Issues of touts reselling tickets at inflated prices and duplicated tickets being sold dented the experience.

As AFCON 2027 draws nearer, these gaps must be closed. Fortunately, the presence of star players, household names like Mohamed Salah and Andre Onana, will draw crowds. Fans will have an even greater reason to attend, but the systems must be user-friendly and transparent.

The Uganda Cranes, despite exiting early, impressed with their spirit. The players were motivated by the direct support of H.E. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and the First Lady, Hon. Janet Kataaha Museveni, the Minister of Education and Sports. The government’s reward of UGX 1.2 billion per win saw the team pocket UGX 2.4 billion.

In addition, 28,000 tickets were purchased by government for Ugandans to attend the third-place match free of charge. These gestures inspired both the players and the fans, reinforcing the bond between the team and the nation.

The shared banner of PAMOJA, Swahili word for “Together” defined CHAN 2024 and will remain the heartbeat of AFCON 2027. For the first time since 1976, the tournament will return to the CECAFA region, coinciding with AFCON’s 70th Anniversary. June and July 2027 will be historic months, as Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania welcome Africa to a football festival that will leave a lasting legacy.

My humble appeal is that when AFCON begins, each of the three hosts should stage their own opening ceremony for their first home match, an opportunity to showcase East Africa’s culture and unity to the world. Football can and should be more than competition; it should be a celebration of who we are.

As Uganda marks her 63rd Independence Anniversary on 9th October 2025 at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds. under the theme “63 Years of Independence: A Reason to Double Our Effort in Sustaining a United and Progressive Nation,” CHAN 2024 has already given us a taste of what unity can achieve. Independence is about more than the past, it is about preparing for the future. And as AFCON 2027 approaches, East Africa has a chance to prove that when we stand pamoja, there is nothing we cannot achieve.

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Ndugai in a statement said he had written to CCM’s Secretary-General, saying that it was a personal decision that had taken into account national interests.

He also said that a copy had been submitted to the National Assembly Clerk for the procedures of getting another speaker according to the constitution.

“ I take this opportunity to give my sincere gratitude to my fellow Members of Parliament, President Samia Suluhu Hassan and the whole government in general, Kongwa residents and all Tanzanians for the support you gave me for the time I was the Speaker of The National Assembly,” reads the part of the letter.

Ndugai who assumed the position on November 17, 2015, is the first Speaker to resign while in office in Tanzania history.

On Monday, Ndugai issued a public apology to President Samia Suluhu Hassan following claims he made earlier last week that Tanzania risks being auctioned due to rising national debt.

However, the apology was not accepted by the president.

Speaking on Tuesday, President Hassan, who doubles as the ruling CCM’s Chairperson while addressing her Cabinet ministers, regional commissioners as well as regional chairpersons of the ruling CCM on Tuesday said what was happening had everything to do with the next elections.

“That is what is going on. It is inconceivable that the head of one of the pillars of the State can stand up and say what he said. It all has everything to do with 2025,” President Hassan said.

Past speakers of the national assembly since independence

Adam Sapi Mkwawa                                   – November 27, 1962 – November 19, 1973
Erasto Andrew Mbwana Mang’enya       –November 20 1973 – November 5, 1975
Adam Sapi Mkwawa                                    November 6, 1975 –April 25, 1994
Pius Msekwa                                               – April 1994 – November 28, 2005
Samuel Sitta                                                – December 28, 2005 – 2010
Anne Makinda                                             –November 10, 2010 – November 16, 2015
Job Ndugai                                                       November 17, 2015 –January 6, 2022

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 Some members of the East Africa Legislative Assembly, EALA, had blamed the previous Secretary-General for not reaching out to leaders of the countries, which affected their interest in the regional affairs, to the extent of accumulating arrears in annual cash contributions. It is hoped that this approach will reverse the trend.

Mathuki says that this program has also improved the image of the secretariat and also revived the interest of the private sector and the civil society in the activities of the bloc.   

One of the main projects embarked on is the processing of the application of the Democratic Republic of Congo into the EAC, and a verification team has completed a report on the exercise, ready for submission to the Council of Ministers.     

The Secretary-General has shown his full support of the application, describing the DRC’s impending admission, as a game-changer.   

On the issue of Covid 19, Mathuki was happy that all the countries have now embarked on vaccination since Tanzania also declared that it was against the pandemic last month. He is however concerned that less than 2 percent of the people are vaccinated, yet it is important for boosting the movement of people, revive business activities, and attract tourists and investors.  

Mathuki has also committed to revive and promote the private sector in the region, and since then, he says much has happened, including holding consultative meetings with the leaders.

Technical working groups have been created to help in setting the private sector agenda in the region and to see how to create wealth.   

Mathuki is due to meet five top private sector leaders from each partner state this week on the general environment and business requirements, but also discuss Covid 19 with them.   

This was followed by the creation of the civil society desk at the secretariat which is aimed at integrating the activities of the NGOs in the process.   

On the youth, he says they have launched activities starting with the annual bicycle race around the countries to be used in sensitizing the youth, which he says are an important component to the community.   

By the time Mathuki assumed office, there were several issues to do with salaries of staff and allowances and other facilitation of the EALA members, as well as understaffing.  EALA members also threatened to protest over allowances ahead of the February Heads of States Summit.     

Mathuki says that this has since been handled, while the first recruitment exercise in five years is also ongoing.

On the quarrels between the partner states, including the Uganda- Rwanda conflict and border closure over the last two years, Mathuki is confident that the initiatives in place will lead to the end of the standoff especially since all the EAC leaders are committed to the integration process. 

He says that such issues are expected in a community, but adds that the secretariat is handling a process to resolve them, and consultations are ongoing.

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His Excellency Yoweri Kaguta Museveni of Uganda held a meeting with President John Pombe Magufuli in Chato, Tanzania, where the two heads of states discussed a number of issues of bilateral interest to the two partner countries.

Most importantly, this was a follow-up meeting after Uganda had signed the Host Government Agreement recently with Total on the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project. Total is a major shareholder in Uganda’s oil fields.

In principle, the two governments agreed to expedite the harmonization of pending issues in the spirit of the East African Community (EAC), the remaining agreements are to be fast-tracked including the Tanzanian HGA to fasten the implementation of EACOP project.

The $3.5bn project will connect Uganda’s oil fields to port Tanga of Tanzania on the Indian Ocean for about 1,445 km (898 miles) and this will become East Africa’s first major oil pipeline. Total is leading the plans along with China’s CNOOC.

Even though more of Uganda’s oil reserves were discovered much earlier in 2006 the production has been delayed partly by a lack of infrastructure including a refinery, exportation pipeline and building of local capacity.

Speaking to Reuters correspondent, the government spokesman of Tanzania Mr Hassan Abassi said the project is expected to create more than 18,000 jobs for Tanzanians.

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Government of Uganda and Total have signed the Host Government Agreement (HGA) for the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project.

The Uganda Government and Total also agreed on the following agreements in relation to the Uganda National Oil Company:

1. The Deed of Assignment in Relation to the Block 1, 2 and 3A Production Sharing Agreements

2. The Deed of Novation and Amendment with the Uganda National Oil Company in relation to the Joint Operating Agreement in respect of Exploration Areas 1, 2 and 3A

The event was presided over by President Museveni and witnessed by Mr Patrick Pouyanne, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Total. The Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, Mary-Goretti Kitutu, signed on behalf of Uganda while Nicolas Terraz, the Total Exploration and Production President for Africa, signed on behalf of his employer also present was the Attorney General, Mr. William Byaruhanga.

Government of Uganda and the oil companies represented by Total reached an agreement on the commercial framework for the Lake Albert Development Project which also represents significant progress towards achieving the Final Investment Decision expected by the end of the year 2020.

“Oil will be used to further develop the country’s other important sectors like infrastructure and ICT, education and health to enhance capacity of our country,” President Museveni said.

Total and other companies licenced to operate in the country are taking bold steps to quickly commence the production of petroleum after a long time in preparation stages.

The President reassured Total of the Government’s support during their work, he pointed out other potential areas like Agriculture, Tourism, Services, and Human Resource that the companies should explore.

The President promised to get in touch with his Tanzanian counterpart, HE. John Pombe Magufuli, to resolve other pending issues, especially the Host Government Agreement in Tanzania.

Minister Kitutu said, once the final investment decision is made by the oil companies, the opportunities for investment in the country will grow exponentially giving a boost to the economy. She also urged local companies to take advantage of the agreement to tap into opportunities in the oil sector.

CEO Pouyanne (Total) commended President Museveni for his leadership and promised that the project would be executed successfully.

Previously, President Museveni and Mr Pouyanne held a series of high-level discussions to address the commercial bottlenecks in the achievement of a Final Investment Decision (FID) for Uganda’s upstream and EACOP projects.

The oil pipeline will start in Buseruka sub-county, Hoima District, and run for 1,445km to the Tanzania port city of Tanga. When complete, it will be the world’s longest heated oil pipeline.

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