By Mulengera Reporters
Already the $13m (roughly Shs48bn in Ugandan terms) budget, to be jointly contributed by both the GoU and the CAF Secretariat, has been approved to facilitate all preparatory activities for the 2027 AFCON tournament which Uganda will jointly be co-hosting with other EAC sister countries.
Besides the multi-trillion infrastructure projects being undertaken via the multi-purpose stadia at Hoima and Aki Bua in Lango sub region and the training grounds across the country etc, there are several other supportive activities which have to be undertaken to ensure that all goes well.
These complementary activities include the publicity, marketing, invitations, procurement undertakings, erection of billboards about the tournament, accreditations and protocol arrangements besides feeding, accommodation, security, transportation of guests, beautification of the venues and recreation among others.
There is also need to ensure that leaders who have to travel do so, without breaching any protocols. There are several other engagements to be undertaken including recruiting staff for the AFCON 2027 tournament Secretariat. Procurement processes too will have to be undertaken.
There are other groups of service providers who will have to be remunerated and all this is aimed at ensuring that the tournament is memorable and a great thing for the guests who will be descending on Uganda and the local Ugandans themselves. All these complementary activities and many others, which we haven’t even mentioned, will require to be funded.
And this is why the Minister Janet Museveni-led Local Organizing (LoC) for Uganda last Thursday met to receive, consider and consolidate budget estimates as was prepared by the 13 organizing sub committees including the one chaired by ex-Minister Nakiwala Kiyingi now of Fufa, by the Solicitor General who leads the legal subcommittee, by the NCS General Secretary Dr. Bernard Patrick Ogwel who heads the finance committee and the ICT Permanent Secretary Dr. Aminah Zawedde who chairs the Committee on the tournament’s ICT requirements, accreditations of guests and protocol-related work.
Next Media big man Dr. Kin Kariisa also serves on one of the Committees as is Vision Group CEO Don Wanyama.
During the Thursday meeting at Nakasero State Lodge, a total budget of Shs48bn was approved and it’s what will be made available to the LoC Secretariat in Kololo.
The Shs48bn will be handled by Dr Canon Kedrace Turyagyenda, who is also the PS for the Ministry of Education besides her Canon role in the Church of Uganda hierarchy. The Shs48bn will soon be passed on to Canon Turyagyenda who will be dispatching it to the respective sub Committees to do stuff according to their work plans with Janet-led LoC has already approved.
Canon Kedrace will then be demanding and obtaining written accountability reports for every coin which accountability she will be passing on to LoC members to validation and ratification.
Knowledgeable sources say that the President gave his no objection and agreed to Canon Kedrace having the last word on the AFCON Shs48bn after getting reports that some mafia actors, holding themselves to be power brokers at State House, were already looking forward to scavenge on this money by fronting their own kiwaani proxy companies to serve as suppliers or service providers that would supply air or substandard stuff-and in the end get paid for almost doing nothing.
But as PS at Education Ministry, where she is already the accounting officer, Gen Museveni was satisfied that Canon Kedrace knows what to do or not to do in compliance with the rules governing expenditure of public finances. 
As a person, Canon Kedrace was also found suitable because she is naturally decent, prayerful, hardworking, incorruptible and strong-willed to the extent that she isn’t someone any extortionist power broker is going to go stampeding to say that ‘give me this or that supply deal because I was at State House and met the President last night.’
Being just a phone call away from First Lady Janet Museveni, Canon Kedrace will be able to call and immediately expose such extortionist power brokers who intended to menacingly be looking at the AFCON billions while determining how to make a killing through impersonating State House or members of the First Family.
Museveni was also convinced that the well-placed Kampala power brokers, who intended to leverage the AFCON billions to line their respective tummies, would think twice before trying to extort from such a connected person like Kedrace.
Sources say that many such extortionist mafia actors had expected Gen Museveni to entrust those AFCON billions with someone weaker and not very connected from whom the cash would be hijacked.
Museveni learnt of such schemes on good time through his intelligence system and changed his mind in favor Canon Kedrace ahead of the Thursday session at State House Nakasero where her designation was proclaimed from.
Knowing the mafia extortionist traps that awaited them, that same person quickly reached out to the President through Minister Janet pleading thus: “Maama please help me tell Mzee not to give that thing [control and having the last word on AFCON billions] because those people are going to blackmail me into releasing huge sums of money to them or their proxies and leave me in problems.”
In her case, Canon Kedrace has started on job with enthusiasm and has vowed to do in such a prudent way as to make Mzee proud as opposed to shamming the big man from Rwakitura. With support from MoES technocrats and seasoned civil servants like PAS Sophie Besimire, who serves as the Secretary for the Janet-headed AFCON Local Organizing Committee for Uganda, there is certainty that Canon Kedrace will do a good job and exceed the President’s expectations. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
