PRESIDENT MUSEVENI OFFICIALLY OPENS FEASSA GAMES IN BUKEDEA

Описание: President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni was on Sunday August 18, 2024 the
Chief Guest as the 21st edition of the Federation of East Africa
Secondary Schools Sports Association (FEASSA) games officially
kicked off at Bukedea Comprehensive School in Bukedea District in
Eastern Uganda.
Bukedea Comprehensive School is owned by the Speaker of
Parliament, Rt. Hon. Anita Annet Among.
Other FEASSA games will be played at AMUS College School and Teso
College.
The games to be played by both boys and girls include; football,
Swimming, Table Tennis, Soccer, Badminton, basketball, Handball,
Netball, Rugby 15’s and Hockey.
Before opening the games, President Museveni first commissioned
Bukedea Comprehensive School’s sports park which comprises a
football stadium, an indoor sports arena, and an Olympic-size swimming
pool.
The President commended Rt. Hon. Anita Among for developing a
sports infrastructure in the region.
“I want to thank the Rt. Hon. Anita Among and her colleagues here who
developed this stadium at a reasonable cost and quickly. I think this
should serve as an example to others so that we can develop these
stadiums in other parts of the country,” President Museveni said.

President Museveni, who delivered most of his speech in Swahili,
informed participants that the East African integration is not about just
sports but also strategic security and prosperity of all East Africans
which is as a result of producing a good or a service and selling it.
“You cannot live a good life without producing a good or a service. This
has been our long experience here in Uganda which we shared with
colleagues in the East African community like Mwalimu Julius Nyerere
and others,” H.E Museveni said, adding that The East African integration
is so crucial in addressing the issue of markets for produced goods
within the region.
“If the people of East Africa wake up and start producing, they’ll start
realising that the internal markets are not enough to absorb all the
products. Here in Uganda, we have already experienced that. We have a
lot of maize, milk, etc. and we have seen that the internal market is not
enough. Our Ugandan people are buying a lot of products from Tanzania
especially rice and also a lot of goods from Rwanda. The bigger the
market, the better for the prosperity of our people,” President Museveni
stated.

He gave an example of Latin America which has got a lot of resources,
but its market is fragmented not like that of the United States of America.
On her part, Rt. Hon. Anita Among welcomed participants from East
Africa to Uganda and Bukedea and thanked President Museveni for
commissioning the Sports Arena. She also commended him for his
vision to develop sports in Uganda.
A total of 3,526 participants and young athletes from five (5) countries
are taking part in the games. They include Uganda (1590 participants),

Kenya (1300 participants), Rwanda (162 participants), Tanzania (443
participants) and Burundi (31 participants). South Sudan has not
participated in this year’s edition.
These will be showcasing their potential talents while leveraging the
integration process according to the Minister of State for Sports, Hon.
Peter Ogwang.
“Your excellency, allow me to thank you for championing the EAC
Federation. The integration process cannot be complete without the
involvement of these young people. And I would like to thank your vision
and your colleagues in the region for allowing us as young people to
participate in sports and this is the only way we can market East African
integration to the grassroots,” Minister Ogwang said.
He cautioned participants against acts that will undermine the integrity of
the tournament and to always be reminded that winning and losing is
part of sports.
“I wish to caution them (participants) against engaging in acts that will
undermine the integrity of sports and competition that will hamper the
flow of the spirit of fair play and sportsmanship. Let us celebrate the
spirit of East Africa and the bright future of our young athletes,” Hon.
Ogwang said.
He reminded the President and participants that Uganda is on the right
track in as far as developing the sports infrastructure to facilitate the
Africa Cup of Nations of 2027 under East Africa Pamoja.
The Federation of East Africa Secondary Schools Sports Association
(FEASSA) President Justus Mugisha saluted H.E Museveni for being the
first President to grace the FEASSA event which Uganda is hosting for a
record 7th time.