Last Updated on: 3rd July 2023, 04:52 pm
Gulu, July 3, 2023: Gulu city council is seeking over 100 hectares of land to establish a golf arena and it is calling on the public and landowners to support the initiative.
This publication understands that when Gulu was still a municipality, the then leadership procured some land for the establishment of a golf course but construction never commence. Later the community would encroach on the land making it difficult for the current city leaders to reclaim it.
Alfred Okwonga, mayor of Gulu city council says a preliminary survey on Pece stream channel land belonging to the city indicates that the size of the land is inadequate.
The land behind Cynibel supermarket, he says is only 32.7 hectares. “It cannot establish a golf course. The standard size is 100 hectares to build the golf course,” Okwonga tells TND News.
The mayor further says the biggest question to be put into the minds of people is. “Do the local communities of Gulu city feel interested to participate and love the golf course?”
With the question he has asked, he is calling for unity from the public to embrace the initiative he says will develop young talent.
“With a golf course in the city, it will make the city council improve on revenue, employment opportunities for the youth; leisure time, our environment will be clean and green.
“It is very difficult to intervene and start a new thing or ideas of innovation, people have a bad mindset to adopt the development,” Okwonga speaks, revealing that he’s expecting drawbacks from different leaders across Acholi.
Michael Manne Olwoch, a member of Uganda Golf Course Union working with Entebbe Golf Course Club says Gulu city should work tirelessly, saying golf is meat for the “richest people” and “it is a normal game of all to other games”.
Olwoch has urged Gulu city authorities to change the mindset of the local community. “The city should get over 100 hectares of land for entertainment and recreational sports.
He added that Arua, Masaka and Lira cities, among others, recently reclaimed their golf course facilities.