Mbarara City require 200M plus towards preparation of mega Festival

Amos Tayebwa

Mbarara

On 3rd and 4th of December will be remarkable days in the history of Mbarara City as they welcome the city status which they received on 2nd  July 2020. In this regard, Mbarara City has a budget of about 200M plus purposely for this festival.

Last week, Mbarara City’s top leadership met with the key stakeholders of Mbarara City at Igongo Cultural Center on an arrangement to share ideas for the preparation of the Mbarara City Festival.  Some of the key Stakeholders that attended included CEO of the Companies, Bank Managers, Leaders of the Traders, heads of security and other political leaders in Mbarara City.

According to the organizers, they have organized the Mbarara City Festival that will occur on the 3rd and 4th of December this year. And this will be a two days event that will include a symposium which will take place at Igongo cultural Center on the 3rd, thereafter the symposium, there will be a convoy that will drive from mongongo and pass through Mbarara town up to the arranged place for a carnival that will take place around High street and Mbaguta street. Then on the 4th, there will be an exhibition at Kakyeka stadium where there will be a trade show and other activities showcasing what Mbarara and Ankore at large are good at.

The purpose of this function and what it introduces is a new creation of a regional city which is a higher local government and for that matter Mbarara City, they are showcasing a new city that is coming up with a new mandate with new expectations.

“We had expected to host the East African Trade Show come December this year, we had competed for this with other cities that including Gulu City and also the Central Government. The team of assessors came and visited us but after several meetings, they decided that let this trade show be hosted by Kampala or the central government. So we said fine, we did not desire to lose out but we were also having an alternative that let us have our own festival of welcoming the City, we had wanted the trade show to help us do the display or exhibition of Mbarara in an international media but when it failed we said let us have this festival and do exactly what the East African trade show was to do,  only that the other one was East Africa and this is Mbarara”  Richard Mugisha, the Mbarara City Deputy Town Clerk explaining.

He added that part of this festival is a business angle and there is going to be exhibitions, and trade show within this festival celebrations. That rising from that they expect proceeds which shall be invested in advance for the preparation of the City, that this is not going to end on getting profits only out of this but looking at the long-term nature and benefits of the festival going towards. He also confirmed that they are trying as a council to make an annual event so that every year this kind of festival is celebrated in a way of remembering when Mbarara became a city.

Joseline Kiconco, the Mbarara City Commercial officer and the organizing committee Chairperson on behalf of Mbarara City Council, said that they have a budget of about 200M plus to have a well-organized festival, that they are soliciting this money from the partners like MTN, UBL, NTV, Abahumuza, and others that are coming on board. She said that as a council they allocated about  50M to support the festival activities. She asked all well-wishers of Mbarara City to be part of this and contribute towards this festival to be successful because the budget is big.

She adds that almost  Advertising itself goes to 100M, the public address system 70M, and other activities that need money to have a colorful festival.

Robert Mugabe Kakyebezi, the Mbarara City Mayor confirmed that the Speaker of Parliament Anite Among is expected as the Chief Guest of Honor on the celebrations of this festival. That she will be accompanied by other ministers including the minister of Local  Government Raphael Magyezi.

He said that the purpose of having this festival is to learn more and have a change of mindset to show the public that they are ready to fight poverty and to implement the manifesto of president Museveni.

He, therefore, called up on all the companies, institutions, and other entities to be part of this and contribute to something to support this cause.