Africa-Press – Uganda. Members of Uganda’s boxing fraternity have petitioned the state minister for sports, and the general secretary National Council of Sports (NCS) on what they called the illegal operations of the Uganda Boxing Federation (UBF) “in contravention of the National Sports Act, 2023 and the Statutory Instruments no. 24.”
In a letter dated April 10, the petitioners: Cazzo Moses Ubuku, Musoke Vincent Bazibumbira, David Kyambade Kawuzi and Emmanuel Kibuuka-Musoke Busagwa, who are boxing club owners and coaches, note that the NCS recognised UBF as a national sports association on January 20, 2016, and continues as such upon the enactment of the new Act, “but subject to compliance within 12 months upon gazetting of the Act’s Statutory Instruments.”
“It is therefore, illegal and a contravention of the Law, for UBF to identify as a boxing federation, extending its mandate to managing the professional boxing which prerogative it does not hold,” the letter Daily Monitor has seen reads in part.
“Such a misrepresentation is very dangerous, and aims at causing illegal boxing business, institutionalizing avoidable risks to lives of innocent unsuspecting sports persons, and causing agonies which the law aims to eradicate and prohibit.”
The new Sports Act allows only one national association or federation to govern a sport. An association governs only amateur sport, while federation governs both.
All this is alien territory for boxing, where the amateur and professional entities have been run by separate bodies since inception.
To move with change, UBF recently created a licensing commission to regulate professional boxing, which has since 1988 been governed by the Uganda Professional Boxing Commission (UPBC). This was more fuel in the fire.
As a result, some pro boxing events have been cancelled, while UBF and its converts are organising amateur and pro events without official hinderances.
The petitioners, like most rooting for UPBC, pray that UBF first be compelled to fulfill all the requirements as a federation, before it holds any events.
Otherwise, petitioners say, UBF holding professional boxing events is a misrepresentation and in contempt of the Act.”
“Our prayer, therefore, is to request that UBF be reprimanded, from performing any events until it fully satisfies all the requirements to legally operate as a National Sports Association, or Federation as provided by National Sports Act, 2023 Cap. 151 and the Statutory Instruments Supplement No. 24, 2025.”
Sports minister Peter Ogwang gave sports bodies until June 20 to fully comply with the new law.
The petitioners also complained about letters from NCS and the attorney general’s office carrying “misguided content alluding to
UBF assuming the responsibility for professional boxing.”
For More News And Analysis About Uganda Follow Africa-Press
