New Bukoto East Member of Parliament Sarah Babirye Kityo has pledged to use her return to Parliament to aggressively advocate for Uganda’s sports sector, citing her past experiences in sports administration as the driving force behind her mission.
Babirye made the remarks during a thanksgiving ceremony held at her home in Maya, Mpigi District, shortly after being sworn in as MP.
The former Uganda Netball Federation president said she intends to become a strong voice for athletes, sports administrators and federations facing challenges across the country.
“This is a second chance for me. I went through hell and am back now,” Babirye said.
“I am back as a leader who is objective. I am here to criticize, advise and give credit where it’s due.”
Babirye, who served as Central Region Youth Representative in Parliament between 2016 and 2021, said her difficult tenure at the helm of Uganda Netball Federation shaped her determination to fight for accountability and better management in sports.
“When I was the president of Netball and I was mistreated, I went to most MPs from Parliament, but nobody helped me. Helping and being objective and a good leader has nothing to do with your political party,” she said.
The outspoken legislator claimed she was jailed in Luzira after refusing to pay kickbacks, adding that several leaders she approached for help remained silent.
She now says she is ready to stand with sports stakeholders and push for reforms within the industry.
“I want to be the voice of sports. Every sports person out there who feels things are not going well should come and forge a way forward,” Babirye noted.
“I love sports. When I see sport being mistreated and poorly managed, my heart sinks.”
Babirye also emphasized the need to invest more in grassroots development, questioning the lack of junior leagues in several sporting disciplines despite Uganda’s abundance of talent.
“You all know how rich Uganda is talent-wise, but one will ask why we don’t have junior leagues in most disciplines. This is the foundation,” she added.
She further revealed that she is preparing a team that will help advance her sports agenda.
“Expect more emphasis on sports. Expect something from me together with a team I will unveil when the right time comes,” she said.
“I will die trying helping the sport.”
Babirye’s troubles in sports administration stemmed from her fallout with the National Council of Sports during her tenure as Netball Federation president.
She accused NCS under General Secretary Dr Bernard Ogwel of demanding kickbacks and withholding federation funds, allegations Ogwel denied while accusing the federation of accountability failures.
The controversy later attracted the intervention of First Lady Janet Kataaha Museveni at State House, where wider governance concerns in Ugandan netball, including corruption allegations and financial accountability issues, were discussed.
Babirye was later asked to step aside for three months to pave way for investigations, but disagreements persisted even after the suspension period elapsed.
In November 2023, she was remanded to Luzira Prison on fraud-related charges linked to accountability issues in the federation, months after the National Council of Sports withdrew recognition of the netball body.
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