President Yoweri Museveni has pledged full government funding and backing to ensure Uganda meets its deadlines for co-hosting the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), and has endorsed plans for a single visa allowing fans to travel freely across the three host countries.
Uganda will stage the tournament jointly with Kenya and Tanzania under the East African “Pamoja” bid, the first time AFCON has been hosted by three countries at once. It will be the first time the tournament has been played in East Africa in over 50 years.
Museveni made the pledge at a meeting with the AFCON Local Organising Committee at State House, Entebbe, on Wednesday, where he was briefed on preparations by Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja and other ministers.
One of the key outcomes was Museveni’s backing for a common East African entry visa, which would let fans, officials and teams move between Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania for four months without separate permits. “This is common sense, I support it,” he said, directing officials to open talks with Kenya and Tanzania to put the arrangement in place before the tournament.
Nabbanja told the meeting the visa plan would let visitors travel across all three countries on one entry document, arguing it was central to the tournament’s success. Officials said Uganda already runs a similar scheme with Kenya and Rwanda, and that the goal now was to bring Tanzania into a wider East African arrangement.
The idea builds on a PAMOJA Visa Framework already discussed by sports ministers from the three countries at a ministerial meeting in Kampala earlier this year, aimed at easing travel for fans, players, media and sponsors during the tournament.
Museveni’s government is racing to complete infrastructure ahead of a CAF inspection due on 31 August 2026, with a hard deadline of 31 December 2026 for priority projects. These include upgrading Mandela National Stadium, finishing AFCON training grounds, completing the passenger terminal at Kabalega International Airport, and building roads around Hoima City Stadium, including the 148km Busunju–Kiboga–Hoima road.
Government ministers used the meeting to give assurances on funding and delivery. The finance minister said money for approved AFCON projects had already been set aside in the current financial year, while the works minister said the Busunju–Hoima road remained on schedule.
CAF has previously warned that venues across the three host countries, including in Kenya and Tanzania, did not yet meet the standards required to stage the tournament, and all three governments have been under pressure to accelerate stadium and transport upgrades. Kenya only recently cleared its hosting fee after delays raised doubts over its role in the bid.
AFCON 2027 is scheduled to run from 19 June to 18 July, with matches split across venues in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.
The Entebbe meeting was attended by several cabinet ministers, including the ministers of defence, health, education, water and environment, along with senior officials from the immigration directorate, FUFA and Kampala Capital City Authority.
Email:homelandnewspaper@gmail.com
