Members of Parliament (MPs) have approved a motion for the Parliamentary Commission to pay school fees for two continental motorsport champions until they finish their A’level. The two beneficiaries are Ramathan Mubiru in primary seven and Hellena Birungi in primary four.
“One thing we should do is, let the Parliamentary Commission pay for these kids school fees,” said Speaker of Parliament Anita Annet Among, who was paying tributes to the Federation of Motorsport Uganda, for the incredible performance they put up following their recent trip to Morroco.
Jimmy Akena, the Lira Division East MP, who is also the Federation’s President informed Parliament that Uganda won several trophies including one by Hellena Birungi, who was crowned the Junior Ladies Champion for Africa and Uganda emerged second in this category.
While Mathias Mpuuga, the Nyendo-Mukungwe Division MP welcomed the kind gesture by Parliament to pay fees for the young motorsports stars, he questioned the sustainability of such a move.
Mpuuga tasked government to explain what became of sports scholarships and what criteria do the needy athletes need to follow to benefit from sports scholarships.
“Now that we have the Minister of Finance and Minister of Education, will they clarify on what became of sports scholarships in this country? Because, there seems to be no clarity on how they are accessed, do they still exist? Are they competitive or are they by selection,” said Mpuuga.
Government Chief Whip Hamson Obua says government is committed to financing sports activities, which he says can be seen in the rising trophies the country is receiving across the world. Obua says any financing challenges will be comprehensively addressed.
Peter Ogwang, Minister of State for Sports, revealed that whereas Parliament budgeted Shs3 billion towards motorsport activities, the finance ministry only released Shs300m. He said this frustrates sporting activities.
Finance minister Henry Musasizi defensively explained that the issue is not necessarily release, but the utilisation of funds. He offered to reconcile and have the payments settled.
