Uganda Premier League clubs have moved closer to receiving their long-awaited government funding after the National Council of Sports confirmed that all 18 clubs have been enrolled onto the government payment system.
In a letter dated September 18, NCS says it has completed onboarding the bank details of the 18 clubs onto the Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS), clearing an important administrative hurdle before payments can be processed.
The development turns a funding campaign stretching back nearly two years into a defined financial package, complete with spending conditions for individual clubs.
Government, through NCS, has allocated Shs5.5bn to the 18 Uganda Premier League clubs for the 2026/27 financial year. That works out at Shs305,555,556 for each club annually.
However, clubs will not receive the entire allocation at once. According to the NCS communication, the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development has released 50 percent of the annual subvention budget during the first quarter.
That means each Premier League club is currently entitled to Shs152,777,778, subject to submission of detailed work plans and budgets before NCS processes the money.
More significantly, NCS has prescribed how clubs should spend their allocations rather than leaving the Shs305.6m as unrestricted operational funding.
Player and technical-team welfare will take the biggest share at 60 percent, equivalent to Shs183,333,333 of each club’s annual allocation. From the first-quarter payment, Shs91,666,667 is earmarked for that purpose.
Another 20 percent, or Shs61,111,111 annually, has been reserved as special consideration for national-team players at each club.
Where a club does not have national-team players, that portion will instead be redirected towards talent identification and development.
Talent identification and development has separately been allocated 10 percent, worth Shs30,555,556 annually, while another 10 percent goes towards general administrative support for club secretariats.
For the first Shs152,777,778 instalment, the breakdown is; Shs91,666,667 for player and technical-team welfare, Shs30,555,556 for national-team players, Shs15,277,778 for talent identification and development and Shs15,277,778 for administration.
NCS has asked the clubs to submit detailed work plans and budgets to its General Secretary before the funds can be processed.
The letter was copied to State Minister for Sports Peter Ogwang, senior Finance ministry officials, NCS leadership and FUFA’s chief executive.
A journey that started with lobbying
The September 18 communication represents one of the clearest outcomes yet from a campaign by Premier League clubs for direct government investment.
The roots can be traced to late 2024, when the UPL leadership began engaging government over the financial challenges facing top-flight clubs.
The process became more formal in 2025. Documents previously reviewed by CK Sports showed the UPL Board approaching government to seek discussions with First Lady and Education and Sports Minister Janet Museveni over the development and financing of the country’s top division.
The clubs argued that limited resources were affecting professionalisation, commercialisation, infrastructure, player retention and their competitiveness on the continent.
The UPL eventually developed a proposal seeking approximately Shs6bn annually in direct government investment in the clubs.
The campaign also coincided with wider discussions about strengthening Uganda’s domestic football structures ahead of the country co-hosting the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations alongside Kenya and Tanzania.
Government eventually settled on Shs5.5bn, slightly below the figure sought by the league.
UPL Board chairman Arinaitwe Rugyendo had earlier indicated that player welfare would be at the heart of the intervention, while warning that accountability could determine whether government support develops into a longer-term arrangement.
The latest NCS document now puts figures behind that position, with 60 percent specifically ring-fenced for players and technical teams.
Direct route to clubs
Another significant element is the mechanism through which the money is being distributed.
NCS is preparing to process payments to the 18 clubs through their registered bank accounts on IFMS.
That followed government’s decision to channel the intervention through NCS while placing responsibility for expenditure and accountability on individual clubs.