Hoima City Resident City Commissioner (RCC) Badru Mugabi has confirmed that casual workers at Hoima City Stadium recently staged a sit-down strike over unpaid wages.
Speaking to the media, Mugabi revealed that the workers downed their tools after going three months without receiving their salaries. He noted that this is the sixth time workers at the stadium have gone on strike over similar grievances.
According to Mugabi, the recurring strikes stem from contracts that extend beyond the government’s financial year, creating payment and contract management challenges.
The contract was awarded crossing the financial year. This is just a breach that was bound to happen because we have a service provider who began work under a contract that crossed into the new financial year.
The Permanent Secretary to the Treasury has been very clear about avoiding commitments that extend government contracts beyond the financial year. However, we have contracts that crossed from June into July and are still running, yet the workers have not been paid.
Despite the payment dispute, Mugabi praised the procurement process that delivered the stadium, saying the project itself had been executed successfully.
He commended the procurement team for overseeing the construction of the facility within just 13 months, adding that the approximately Shs480 billion invested in the project was put to good use.
However, he warned that poor contract management was tarnishing the government’s achievement.
As we speak, contract management is becoming an embarrassment to the government because today we have workers on a sit-down strike. On Monday, I had to intervene and manage the strike after workers demanded payment of their three months’ unpaid wages.
Hon. Zambaali Bulaasio Mukasa also called upon the government to prioritise the timely completion of all major AFCON 2027 infrastructure and facilities before CAF returns for inspection.
“I urge the government to prioritise the timely completion of all AFCON 2027 infrastructure and related facilities before CAF returns for inspection. Uganda should not wait until the last minute to address critical gaps, as this risks unnecessary embarrassment and could undermine our credibility as a host nation.”
Hoima City Stadium casual workers have staged a sit-down strike over unpaid dues of up to three months, with Hoima RCC, Badru Mugabi confirming the development. He revealed it is the sixth such strike at the site.#NBSportThePavilion #NBSportUpdates
📸 @AlansMwesigwa pic.twitter.com/9ybVpVO8Pl— NBS Sport (@NBSportUg) July 16, 2026
