The Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) has requested Shs30 billion from the government to buy essential equipment needed to make Kabalega International Airport fully operational, the Director of Airports at UCAA said during a parliamentary monitoring visit.
Sam Wonekha told Parliament's Committee on Physical Infrastructure that the authority drew up an equipment procurement plan four years ago with a total cost of Shs76 billion. To date, only Shs32 billion has been released in the previous financial year, creating a funding shortfall that is hampering progress toward opening the airport. Wonekha said the additional Shs30 billion would cover security scanners, three fire trucks and other operational equipment. He called on the government to release the funds promptly so the authority can settle its bills once the equipment arrives.
Construction work at the airport is advancing on schedule. A new passenger terminal is under construction by Egypt's Samco National Construction Company at a cost of Shs232 billion. The manager of Kabalega International Airport said the contractor is already on site. The expanded terminal is designed to raise the airport's passenger processing capacity during peak periods from 100 to 1,000 travellers per hour, with completion targeted for March 2027.
The first phase of the airport's construction, which began in 2018 under contractor SBC Uganda Limited, is complete and is scheduled to be commissioned by President Yoweri Museveni in January 2027. William Tio, the committee's vice chairperson, pledged to work with the government to secure the requested funding. Margaret Naziwa, the Kagadi District Woman MP and committee member, said completion of the project would create investment and business opportunities for residents of the Bunyoro region.
For investors and businesses in Uganda, the airport's opening will create opportunities to develop services and commerce around the facility, though the project's full benefit depends on securing the outstanding equipment funding.