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Jinja, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | President Museveni has commissioned the refurbishment of Kimaka Airfield.
Despite its strategic location, Jinja Airfield has been underutilised over the years. This has been attributed to its current state with a 1.8km by 30m murram runway, which cannot support landing for some aircraft.
However, it has recently been used as a training ground for the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF). Now, with the expansion, the airfield is set to cater to tourism, offering a convenient landing point for private jets.
The State Minister for Transport, Fred Byamukama, says that redevelopment will include tarmacking of the runway and widening the aircraft parking area (apron).
Byamukama says that with the airfield’s upgrade, they will be able to fly directly into Jinja, increasing tourism flow into the region. He emphasized that Kimaka would be gazetted as an official entry and exit point for international flights, with 23 billion shillings already invested in the project.
Rebecca Kadaga, the First Deputy Premier and East African Affairs Minister praised the efforts to revive the airfield and stressed that the region would experience significant development.
She also raised concerns about Amber Court Road and the nearby market, which has around 4,000 vendors. Kadaga noted that since the market was established, the land title had not yet been provided. Kadaga appealed to President Museveni for support in acquiring land from the Ministry of Agriculture, which she said is dormant, to expand the airfield area to three kilometres.
President Museveni praised the ongoing growth in the transport sector and emphasized the need for continued development, including separating cargo movement from road transport by shifting it to railways to ease traffic congestion. He revealed plans to revive water transport, to reduce road cargo transportation over the next 10 years.
Museveni explained that tourists and visitors often do not have the time to travel long distances by road, which is why the expansion of airfields, including the one in Jinja, is crucial.
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