President Museveni fulfills financial pledge to CHAN team

The President of the Republic of Uganda H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni confirmed on Tuesday that he has fulfilled the financial pledge he made to the Uganda Cranes before 2024 African Nations Championship that was hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

It should be noted that Museveni promised 1.2 billlion shillings for every win. With the Cranes managing two wins, that means, he had to fork out 2.4 billion shillings. Uganda defeated Guinea 3-0 and also won 2-0 against Niger.

On Tuesday, Museveni confirmed he paid the money to the players’ accounts during a State House dinner held in Entebbe.

“This evening, Maama and I hosted the Uganda Cranes for dinner at Entebbe after their commendable performance in the tournament. As promised, we have fulfilled our pledge to them, as motivation is an essential part of building capacity.” He said.

Each player and official received about 30 million shillings per win. This comes after FUFA had also paid about $11,000 to every member of the Uganda Cranes CHAN team.

Before moving to State House on Tuesday, the team was first hosted at the Parliament of Uganda where a motion was passed to congratulate them for their performance at CHAN 2024.

For the first time in seven attempts, Uganda was able to progress beyond the Group stage and their journey ended at the quarterfinals, losing 1-0 to Senegal.

On a light note, Museveni put the technical team and goalkeeper Joel Mutakubwa to the task of explaining how the team conceeded the third goal against South Africa.

In his explanation, Museveni believes, the goalkeeper rushed to move out of his Area of Responsibilty (AOR).

“As I joined Maama to watch the Cranes playing against Algeria recently in Nakasero after my official duties, I reflected on a principle I often teach in the military: every Force has an Area of Responsibility (AOR). When everyone goes on the offensive and leaves the defense and goalkeeper exposed, the opponent can easily exploit that gap. That was my analysis of the game. However, as we say in Swahili, “Tafadhali,” our team’s efforts cannot go unappreciated. The Cranes fought valiantly.” He stated.

Uganda will now shift focus to Africa Cup of Nations 2027 which they will host alongside Kenya and Tanzania.