The Leader of Opposition (LoP) and National Unity Platform (NUP) spokesperson, Joel Ssenyonyi, has criticized government for failing to provide decent accommodation for the Uganda Cranes during the recently concluded African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2024.
Speaking during a parliamentary sitting on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, Ssenyonyi decried the state of the hotel in Kisaasi, Kampala, where the national football team was housed. He noted that the facility fell short of international standards and even raised safety concerns.
“We were shocked to see where our team was being accommodated. The access road was so poor that the team bus would stop halfway, and players had to walk to the hotel. Our opponents were in five-star hotels, yet we expect our boys to perform at the same level,” Ssenyonyi said.
He argued that government could easily afford to place the Cranes in better facilities.
“If we can commit Shs1.2 billion as a bonus for each win, surely we can afford to host our players in a proper and secure environment. Anything less undermines both their morale and safety,” he added.
However, Speaker of Parliament Anita Among defended government’s position, noting that despite staying in less glamorous facilities, the Uganda Cranes outperformed some of their rivals.
“Those who were in five-star hotels, did they reach where we reached?” Among retorted, alluding to Uganda’s commendable performance.
Parliament later joined in applauding the Cranes, who reached the quarterfinals before bowing out to Senegal.
