The dissenting voices began before the ad hoc committee held an extraordinary assembly on September 22, during which they passed a new constitution. To the dismay of the committee’s critics, the constitution introduced and removed a few items.
Before the Lugogo assembly, a section of the stakeholders petitioned the World Netball, Ministry of Education and Sports, and National Council of Sports, among others, to prevail over the ad hoc committee, which had gone beyond its mandate. However, Moses Mwese, the committee’s head, dismissed his critics as ‘disgruntled’ and vowed to proceed with the planned elections.
BACKGROUND
The World Netball body disbanded Sarah Babirye Kityo’s Uganda Netball Federation executive committee in November 2023 and appointed an ad hoc committee under the direction of Uganda Swimming Federation boss Mwase.
The committee also has former She Cranes captain Peace Proscovia, NCS member Cecilia Anyakoit, and Leticia Namutebi, a member of the Uganda Olympic Committee, to see to it that a new UNF executive committee is put in place in six months.
This came barely a month after NCS withdrew its certificate of recognition from UNF, citing leadership wrangles that had affected the body. Following the withdrawal of the certificate, Babir- ye filed a lawsuit against the government for allegedly interfering with UNF activities, and she also took action to prevent NCS from establishing a normalisation committee.
However, the court, through judge Simon Zirintusa, dismissed the application, much to the dismay of the embattled UNF boss. The netball community eagerly anticipated the Mwase Committee’s proposals. The committee developed the netball roadmap a few months ago, but it was met with disapproval, leading to the current standoff.
ARROGANT BOSSES
Originally, netball stakeholders requested that the committee play the top-flight league to keep the players active. However, the committee remained unyielding and maintained confidentiality. However, the stakeholders increased their pressure on the committee, accusing it of lacking expertise in netball matters and being arrogant.
Sensing the danger of dissent, committee boss Mwase pleaded for more time from the world body to finish the committee work, a request that the world body granted. But in an attempt to make up for lost time, the committee quickly created a draft constitution and sent it to stakeholders for feedback.
However, according to stakeholders, the committee left out a couple of their proposals in the final draft and introduced stricter eligibility criteria for leadership positions. UNF was rebranded to Netball Uganda to the dismay of a section of stakeholders who wanted the name unchanged, but to this, Mwase explained that the previous name was dented and thus needed to be changed.
Other notable candidates for the presidency of Netball Uganda must hold a higher diploma from a recognized Ugandan institution and have a certificate in sports administration.
The committee’s decision to lock out district and special group delegates from accessing the assembly venue annoyed the delegates, leading them to accuse the committee of having ulterior motives.
MUGERWA DROPPED
Meanwhile, UCU Angels netball club tactician Nelson Bogere recently replaced She Cranes head coach Fred Mugerwa. Mugerwa, a critic of the Mwase committee, guided She Cranes to fifth place for the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the 2023 Netball World Cup. The new coach is currently shaping up the team for the forthcoming Fast Five tournament, planned early next month in New Zealand.
THE WAY FORWARD
Like many other sports disciplines in Uganda, netball has endured years of administrative disputes. That’s why, when World Netball intervened, we thought it was a wonderful opportunity to bring sanity to the administration of the game.
The Mwase’s committee was supposed to study the history of the wrangles by engaging all stakeholders, including former UNF bosses, before coming up with the final constitution draft.
The committee’s decision to exclude potential administrators such as Brig. Flavia Byekwaso and many others by introducing measures such as certificates in sports administration is deemed unwise.
The game needs personalities with administrative experience other than former players or administrators who have been involved in the previous wrangles. That’s why sports bodies like the Uganda Golf Union (UGU), the Uganda Cricket Association (UCA), and the Uganda Rugby Union (URU) have had smooth leadership simply because they are headed by qualified people who have names to protect.
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