CAA Seeks Shs30bn for Critical Equipment at Kabalega International Airport

What the report says

Uganda Civil Aviation Authority has asked the government for Shs30 billion to buy equipment needed to make Kabalega International Airport fully operational, according to Nile Post. The request was presented by Sam Wonekha, the authority’s director of airports, during a monitoring visit by Parliament’s Committee on Physical Infrastructure to the airport project in Hoima District.

Wonekha said the money would go toward items such as security scanners, three fire trucks and other operational equipment that are required before the airport can support full revenue generation. He also told MPs that UCAA had drawn up an equipment procurement plan four years ago worth Shs76 billion, but only Shs32 billion was released in the previous financial year, leaving a gap in funding.

The article says the committee’s vice chairperson, William Tio, promised to follow up with government on the request. Kabalega International Airport manager David Bitabangoma said work had begun on a new passenger terminal, with the contractor already on site. The terminal project is being handled by Egypt’s Samco National Construction Company at a reported cost of Shs232 billion.

Nile Post reported that the expanded terminal is expected to raise peak-hour passenger clearance capacity from 100 to 1,000. The airport, whose construction began in 2018, is expected to have its first phase commissioned in January 2027, while the new passenger terminal is due in March 2027.