By Henry Okurut
A long-awaited promise by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to open up Karamoja to the world is finally taking shape with the commencement of works on Kidepo International Airport in Karenga District.
It is a project many describe as a game-changer for the sub-region’s tourism and economic transformation.
The airport, being constructed by investors from the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce (UAE), features a 3.5-kilometre runway capable of handling large aircraft such as the Boeing 777 making it Uganda’s second major international gateway after Entebbe.
The estimated USD 300 million investment marks one of the largest infrastructure projects ever undertaken in the Karamoja sub-region.
President Museveni, while campaigning in Kaabong on Saturday evening, said the new airport is part of his government’s broader strategy to boost tourism, trade and industrial linkages in Uganda’s north-eastern corridor.
He emphasized that improved connectivity will turn the once-isolated region into a vibrant hub for investment and travel.
“This airport is not just for planes, it is for opportunity. It will open Karamoja to the world and the world to Karamoja,” the President told cheering residents.
The idea of an international airport near Kidepo Valley National Park dates back over a decade, when the government identified tourism and mineral development as the key pillars of Karamoja’s revival.
Kidepo, often ranked among Africa’s most pristine parks, has long suffered from poor accessibility despite its beauty and wildlife diversity.
Over the years, tourists flying to Kidepo had to charter small aircraft to the modest airstrip at Lomej. The government’s plan to establish a full-scale airport at Karenga backed by the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce aims to eliminate that bottleneck and stimulate investments in hospitality, agriculture and transport.
According to Martin Mugarra Bahinduka, State Minister for Tourism, the project will go far beyond aviation.
“This is not an airfield; it is a true international airport. With the Sharjah Chamber’s investment, we are also giving them 15 concessions to build lodges in Kidepo National Park and the Karenga Community Wildlife Area,” Mugara said. “It will transform this area. The lodges will employ local people, consume local products and raise household incomes.”
He added that the land for the airport was provided by the Uganda Wildlife Authority, under the Ministry of Tourism and that the project aligns with the government’s agenda to develop community tourism while conserving wildlife.
Residents of Kaabong have welcomed the project with mixed emotions; excitement for jobs and business opportunities, but concern over whether locals will truly benefit.
Longolemoi Moses, a Kaabong resident and former political candidate, praised the development but appealed for a special loan fund to help Karamojongs invest in complementary businesses.
“We have land but no money. Foreigners will build hotels while locals remain spectators,” he lamented. “If the government could bail us out with affordable loans, we too could build standard hotels to host tourists coming through the new airport.”
Kaabong Resident District Commissioner, Stephen Odong Latek, described the Kidepo Airport as a promise come true noting that the facility will not only improve access to domestic and international markets but also enhance productivity and household incomes.
“The President promised improved infrastructure, production and household income and this project fulfills that. It opens up Karamoja to trade, tourism and jobs,” Latek said. “However, it’s vital that government ensures locals are included in the airport economy to avoid exclusion.”
He added that the ongoing Parish Development Model (PDM) and other NRM programs have already given locals a sense of inclusion in Uganda’s economic transformation and the airport will consolidate those gains.
The Kidepo International Airport, expected to be completed within three years, is projected to boost annual visitor numbers to over 30,000, up from the current 7,000 and inject millions of dollars into the local economy through tourism, agriculture and trade.
For a region once known for cattle rustling and insecurity, the hum of jet engines will soon replace the sound of gunfire a powerful symbol of how far Karamoja has come under the NRM’s peace and development agenda.
As one elder in Kaabong rightly put it after the President’s address: “For years, we were told development was coming. Now we can see it landing literally.”
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