Sports fans in Jinja have welcomed the resolution by Jinja municipal council to rename Tobacco play ground in Walukuba Masese as the Abbel Dhaira Football ground after the fallen Uganda Goalie who passed away in Iceland last week.
In a special municipal council meeting held at the ground chaired by the municipal speaker Abubaker Maganda Timuntu and Jinja Mayor Hajji Mohamed Baswari Kezaala, > political leaders and civil servants
unanimously agreed to change the name in respect and honor of Dhaira’s legacy in the soccer fraternity.
Many hailed it as a befitting tribute for the fallen soccer hero because Dhaira cut his teeth from the same football field of Walukuba after his parents transferred from Kigandalo in Mayuge district to Jinja before Dhaira was born.
The proposal to rename the field in memory of Dhaira was tabled by Councilor Bernard Mbayo and unanimously supported by all other councilors.
However in his submission, the municipal mayor Kezaala challenged leadership to also plan for the development of the ground into a modern Dhaira stadium.
“His legacy shall forever be remembered and this should be a challenge to young people to explore all their talents because we’re all gifted differently by God and you can never know what God has planned for you until you prove your worth” Kezaala said.
Several leaders including division chairpersons for Walukuba, Mohamed Kibugujo, Jinja central, Kirunda Mubarak and Mpumudde, William Ebusa that make up the municipality, Jinja East municipality member of parliament Paul Mwiru and Jinja town clerk David Kyasanku Wycliffe Ofwono a foot ball fan in Jinja among others, all concur that this is the best way for the council to honor Dhaira.
“If they had given money, people would just fight for it and in no time, everything would be forgotten but naming the field after him means whoever will come to play from their will mention his name. I
pray land grabbers in Jinja don’t partition the field into plots and later scramble for the same” he said.
Kirunda Mubarak, the chairman Jinja central division says that there is also need to identify some people who are excelling in promoting the area and appreciate them before death.
“If we had resolved to name this field Dhaira when he was still alive, he would have probably helped in sourcing for investors to develop it and feel the love and pride other than appreciating a dead body” he
said.
Later the body was taken to the kingdom headquarters where a special sitting of Busoga Lukiiko chaired by the speaker George Mutyabule had convened to pay tribute to the fallen gallant son. Mutyabule urged youth to use their talents to market their areas emulating the late Abbey Dhaira.
