My Canvas Shoes on Kabalega’s Rugged Runway: Uganda’s New Gateway Rises

By Meddy Walusimbi Omuyiribi/ Saturday, 15th August, 2026

Finally, Kabalega International Airport is done.

On Thursday, the 13th of August 2026, I got a chance to step on the runway with my canvas shoes, for the very first time in my life. It’s not just the tarmac. According to Mr. Amos Muliisa, the Public Relations Officer for Kabalega Industrial Park, this is one of a kind. Forget the usual smooth tarmac at Entebbe International Airport. Kabalega International Airport has a rugged surface intended to prevent slipperiness on rainy days. Stepping on the runway before it officially commences is such a rare opportunity, when the runway starts operations, there won’t be such a chance in a million years, only for the valued planes and workers with unbelievable clearance can have the chance. I enjoyed doing it with pride.

Many cases have arisen of planes sliding off the runway. Just recently, the Rwandan airliner slid off the Entebbe runway, putting lives at stake. The rugged surface at Kabalega International Airport is intended to avoid such circumstances.

Kabalega International Airport is located at Kabakete Village, Kabale Subcounty, Bunyoro Subregion, Hoima District. It has a runway of 3.5km long and an apron with the capacity to hold up to 4 of the biggest aircraft.

The major reason for the airport’s location is to support the transportation of equipment for the construction of the Oil Refinery in the Kabalega Industrial Park. According to Mr. Amos, the kind of equipment required for the construction of the refinery is heavy machinery and metal parts that cannot easily be transported by road. They require bigger cargo planes, and the government saw it fit to construct an airport near the refinery.

With the discovery of oil in the Albertine region, the Government of Uganda decided to construct the refinery in Hoima, on top of the pipeline that shall transport crude to Tanga in Tanzania. The reason for the refinery was to consolidate the extra benefits that come from crude oil, like lubricants, cosmetics, among others.

The total cost of Kabalega International Airport is 295 million dollars, equivalent to 1,140,000,000,000 UGX

Works at the airport are 98.8% complete, with total completion set for the 31st of October 2026. The first terminal is almost complete, to enable works at the oil refinery, with the flexibility of transportation of equipment in and out. The government has plans to construct another, bigger terminal at the same airport to handle passengers, especially for the Africa Cup of Nations around the corner in 2027. With over 2.9 sq. miles reserved for expansion, the future for the airport is bright.

Despite the various challenges, Kabalega Industrial Park works officially commenced in 2018, only to be stalled by COVID-19, the harsh rainy weather, plus the unfriendly geography of the land. The project is situated in a valley. According to Mr. Amos, the PRO of the entire project, Kabalega International Airport is seated above 27m of depth. With my own eyes, I saw the 3 hills that had to be cut down to raise the gravel and soil needed to level the land. Coupled with tireless efforts and endless nights by over 6,000 workers, work had to be done and on time.

The entire Kabalega Industrial Park covers 29.7 sq km, to accommodate an airport, which is already in place, an oil refinery, pump station, hydro power substation, among others. This whole package puts Hoima and the entire Bunyoro subregion at the forefront of development in Uganda, with Hoima a newly commissioned city in the country. The Kabalega flag still flies high. The beauty, the resilience, the name selection honours the legacy of the man, Kabalega, the grandfather of defiance and resilience in Uganda. What a man!

Story By Meddy Walusimbi Omuyiribi (medywalusimbi@gmail.com)