Hamis Kiggundu: Is Ugandan Tycoon lining up big stage Nigerian musician Burna Boy for Nakivubo stadium opening?
Ugandans are excited at the prospect of Nigerian international musician Burna Boy gracing the opening of the newly constructed Nakivubo War Memorial Stadium. The stadium which has been built by city money bags Hamis Kiggundu is slated to be opened soon
Social media has been buzzing after Nigerian sources intimated that Kiggundu was readying himself to splash good money for Burna Boy to show up for the official opening of the stadium .Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu (born 2 July 1991), known professionally as Burna Boy, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer.
He rose to stardom in 2012 after releasing “Like to Party”, the lead single from his debut studio album L.I.F.E (2013). In 2017, Burna Boy signed with Bad Habit/Atlantic Records in the United States and Warner Music Group internationally. His third studio album Outside (2018) marked his major-label debut.
The multi-purpose iconic Nakivubo stadium is getting ready every passing day and now the man behind the reconstruction of the historic stadium, young entrepreneur Hamis Kigundu, has announced that they have finished installing a modern playing turf complete with goal posts .
The playing turf and seats have already been installed, and the engineers have erected goalposts and laid the foundations for the floodlights.
The stadium is projected to open in January 2024, although reports suggest that it may be ready for use as early as November 2023.
According to Ivan Ssewankambo, the stadium’s structural engineer, who was quoted by various media , a FIFA-licensed Swiss company specializing in goal-line technology has recently assessed the stadium with the possibility of deploying goal line technology at the facility which has a sitting capacity of 35,000 people .
Ssewankambo stated, “We are awaiting preliminary designs to prepare for cable installation for the goal-line technology. This will allow them to inspect the work once we start. They have also provided standard dimensions for the VAR (Video Assistant Referee) room, which we are preparing.”
If approved and installed Nakivubo stadium will be the first in the East African region to have such advanced technology.
In terms of Nakivubo’s redevelopment progress, which was initially approved by President Museveni in 2015 but only commenced in 2021, the stadium will have boardrooms and conference facilities, changing rooms, rooms for indoor games, an athletics track, a gym, a netball, basketball courts, a hotel, and multi-level parking for up to 9,600 cars.
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