Mbarara Celebrates City Status, festival switched to Independence Park

Amos Tayebwa

Mbarara

Mbarara City has Organized a mega City festival that will kick off this Friday in a way of celebrating a city status that was received on 1st July 2020. The Festival has been switched to Mbarara Independence Park grounds not on the streets as it was earlier planned.

While addressing a press conference on Thursday at Mbarara City council hall, Assy Abireebe Tumwesigire, the city clerk said the celebrations will start this Friday with a business Symposium which will be held at Igongo Cultural Centre.

According to the organisers, the City festival has three days of celebration, there are different activities that are expected in the Celebrations of Mbarara City Status, among these include Dance and Drama, Business Symposium, soccer tournament, the Mbarara City Rally 2023 and exhibition.

The arrangement stands that the celebrations will begin with Business Symposium which will be honored by the Speaker of Parliament Anite Among as the Chief Guest.

Simon Seith Mwijuka, the Chairperson MBACITA and the man behind efforts of organising the Business Symposium, said that the purpose of having this symposium is basically about Business Discussion. That in this discussion they have interested different people. Business discussion will be featuring banks, associations agencies, authorities like URA, UNBS, all development partners, security personnel, importers and exporters, manufacturers and all other interested Business people. The theme of this Business Symposium is about promoting business and attracting investment in the new City.

According to Mwijuka, they have invited a panel of Guests that will be able to educate and advise as far as business and investments are concerned, among the other guests expected on the podium include Amelia Kyambade Senior Presidential Advisor on industry and trade, Patrick Batature a renowned Businessman in this Country and the Spokesperson of KACITA who will give experiences about the growth of businesses in the Cities.

On Saturday and Sunday there will be other activities that include, Soccer tournament and the Mbarara City Rally 2023.

In what they called the Inter division soccer Tournament, on Friday 16 teams from the former divisions of Mbarara City will compete at Kakyeka stadium to get the two teams which will play on finals on Sunday at the same stadium. And the winner will take home praise money and some goods from the sponsors.

In addition, there will also be a two days motor rally which was named as Mbarara City Rally 2023. These will be at Booma grounds at a fee of only 10k. According to the organisers so far confirmed they have about 38 entries and it is confirmed that all the top drivers including Sebbuguzi, Yasin Nasser, Jas Mangat and others will be in the race.

On Sunday, the climax of the Mbarara City Festival will be bashed at independence park grounds. According to the communication from the City Town Clerk Abirebe, the initial plan of having the festival/ the street bash on the streets of Mbaguta and High street have been cancelled. Now the celebrations of the festival will be held at Independence Park as the main venue. About 35 Ugandan big Artists are expected to entertain the Revellers.

Abirebe adds that at the event on Sunday,vendors will also be allowed to display their merchandise at Mbarara independence park at the available stalls which will go at a cost of fifty thousand each. Some streets like Mbaguta, Bananuka Drive and Buremba will be also used by Vendors display their businesses.

Priscah Mulongo said the symposium would help show case the culture and tourism attractions available in Mbarara city and thus wooed investors to come and invest in Mbarara city.

Mbarara city council has partnered with cooperate companies such as Abahumuza Development Group and One time marketing group to prepare Mbarara city festival.

The festival had been planned for December 4,2022,but was disrupted by an outbreak of Ebola in the country.

Mbarara became a city on July 1, 2020, and since then, many developments such as real estate, five-star hotels, and factories among other businesses have emerged and authorities say it is important to celebrate such successes.

The Speaker of Parliament Anita Among is expected to grace the festival celebrations.