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The Uganda Men's Senior National Lacrosse Team is set to depart for the San Diego World Championships on Friday, June 16, despite being embroiled in a corruption scandal involving funds designated for the trip.
The World Lacrosse Championship is scheduled to take place in San Diego, USA, from June 21 to July 1.
Brian Kwesiga, the General Manager, has confirmed that the team will proceed with their travel plans.
"The team will depart from Entebbe International Airport on Friday, June 16, 2023, aboard Emirates Airlines, and touch down at Los Angeles International Airport on Saturday, June 17, 2023," Kwesiga said in a statement released Sunday evening.
He assured that the funds for the trip had been fully paid as their fundraising campaign raised over $120,000 (about Shs440m) for the journey, surpassing their target.
"The funds required for this trip to San Diego, as well as the return flight, have been fully covered. A pre-arranged shuttle will then transport the team to San Diego State University, the venue for the championship," he added.
This confirmation comes in the wake of reports alleging that Kenneth Kasule, the acting president of the Uganda Lacrosse Federation, misappropriated a portion of the Shs130 million allocated by the National Council of Sports.
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It is alleged that Kasule utilized only Shs50 million from the Shs97 million budgeted for flight tickets.
Upon discovering the irregularities, Kwesiga revealed that he promptly contacted the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, which subsequently arrested Kasule.
"I immediately referred the matter to the State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SH-ACU), which promptly commenced investigations and detained the individuals involved to aid in the investigation and recovery of the missing funds," he explained.
The Uganda Lacrosse Team will be Africa's sole representative at the World Championships.
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