Paul Nsibuka Luswata contested for the highest office two years ago against the current chairman Bashir Ansasira and came out second best, this Saturday they will renew their rivarily at the annual UCA Annual General Meeting as the fraternity will be electing a new Chairman.
Two years ago he was making a return to cricket politics after taking some time watching from a far, if he was not fully aware of the challenges that came with the job two years later after serving on the board as Tornado delegate he is knowledgeable of the what comes with the job.
Ahead of the elections on Saturday we caught up with Mr Paul Nsibuka Luswata on his intentions for cricket in case he wins the election on Saturday.
As part of the board for the last two years, what have been the pain points for UCA?
Financial discipline failed us, we have been living outside our set budget or spending more that we set out to do and on some items at the expense of others. Our strategy was to pursue both development and High performance at the same time but with our existing budget one has to decide one or the other otherwise we shall achieve neither, so going forward we have to in live in our budget.
What in your opinion have been some of the achievements of the current board in the last 2 years?
For so long cricket has been without sponsorship but last year we got Endiro Coffee and Unimoni coming on board and this gave the office some relief on finances. Our new development partners such as Sanjay Farm who have allowed us opportunities to expose our players to international cricket.
You have worked with the current chairman, why do you think he is not fit to carry on for another 2 years?
I think he is fit to carry on but I feel I can do a better job on focusing UCA on a specific and achievable realistic strategic path.
What do you promise the cricket fraternity during your tenure?
There are two significantly different strategic paths at the feet of UCA one is High performance and the other is development. HP may get you results quickly but i believe it is not sustainable besides it needs a lot of external financing that we have failed to raise so far. Development is slow grind to develop a regular supply of good quality players. I subscribe to the latter
My focus is going to be on the development path to build a larger number of quality cricketers. What is going to be different in terms of development will take a whole strategic meeting to determine and i cannot say i have all the answers but certainly the focus will be on spending money on development of players right from the grassroots and nurturing and monitoring them through all the stages till they make it to the national team
Thinking long term what is the future of Uganda Cricket on the global stage?
In the foreseeable future Uganda Cricket can slowly but sustainably grow to a level of playing in League 2 in the new structure. This is the equivalent of being among the 20 best cricketing teams in the world over the next eight or so years.
Some members of the fraternity feel the board interferes alot in the work of the secretariat (is this true) and as Chairman will the new CEO be allowed to lead and be judged on his own decisions?
It is a bit true yes but it also has to be looked at in context of where cricket came from. Before the board, then called council, used to do both strategy and its execution. With the coming of ICC money the two were separated in form but not substance because of the hand over from the past that has lingered on to today. Without a doubt i would like to see the secretariat do more of the management of Cricket Uganda and the board concentrates on setting strategy and ensuring / monitoring that it is properly executed by the secretariat. They the secretariat are paid to do that and the board is voluntary
No matter which way the result goes on Saturday, will you continue to serve on the same board with your opponent?
Yes, i was chosen as my club Board member so i have to serve. Besides my return to cricket was to give back and that is not limited to only as chairman but also at the board. I have worked with Badu amicably even if we did not always agree on everything ,so can work with him again
Lastly what happened to Luswata Cup?
Honestly I am not too sure but I believe the UCA schedule got busier with both international tours and there was no room on the local calendar for knock out tournaments. The Luswata cup died with the Kasujja cup for which now we hold a bagurusi game, and the Mawanda cup
