Rodrick Muhumuza, the technical director of Uganda Rowing Federation has confirmed that rowing equipment worth $48,000 that was donated by World Rowing Federation has been held up by customs for months now.
Uganda this year had her first competitor in rowing, Kathleen Noble during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics recently showing how the sport’s potential to start blossoming and get popularity is being foiled by the Uganda Revenue Authority.
“At this particular time, I could say that rowing is at a take-off stage. But without equipment, the future looks bleak for us. This is not a sport that generates revenue yet. To grow the sport, we depend on donations. Yet, URA wants us to pay at least Shs 100 million as taxes and storage fees,” a frustrated Muhumuza lamented.
Muhumuza said this equipment was donated to them last year. And had they acquired it then, it would have gone a long way in supporting the growth of the sport. He noted that much of the rowing equipment they use today is worn out, having received it in 2009.
Yet, at the moment, the rowing federation is seeing no possibilities of how they are going to rescue their equipment from customs.
Inevitably, that will compel the sport’s world governing body to take back their equipment, and donate it to another member association. That will be a huge setback for rowing in Uganda. Muhumuza said that much of the equipment they use now is training boats, which cost between $2,000 (Shs 7 million) and $7,000 (Shs 22 million) each.
However, the rowing boats used in international competition cost $15,000 (Shs 47 million). This is a real far cry for an ordinary Ugandan to afford.
