A council sitting of the Arua city council has come up with a strict resolution demanding the two west Nile-based Uganda Premier League clubs Arua Hill SC and Onduparaka FC to start paying ground rent for the usage of Barifa Stadium and Ababet Greenlight Stadium respectively.
According to the council, Ababet the home of the "caterpillars" belongs to Onduparaka Primary school, a government-aided school and Dorcus Inzikuru Stadium better known as Barifa stadium the home of "Kongolo" belongs to the council hence the top tier clubs to start paying for using the grounds with immediate effect or face eviction. The council also stated that the clubs collect a lot of money during football games which does not benefit the council in any way hence the need to pay rent for the usage of council property.
No clear circumstances have also been provided as to how the two clubs acquired permission to use the respective football pitches as their official ground. An official letter is yet to be addressed to the management of the clubs about the concern before the official start of the 2022/23 football season which is set to start by 30th September.
“The exact figures of the monthly, quarterly or annually charges the council is demanding from the two clubs remains unclear”
Meanwhile, efforts to reach the management of the two clubs proved futile.
