The completion of Kabalega International Airport, formerly known as Hoima International Airport in Hoima district, has suffered delays, pushing the handover to October of this year.
The contractor, a joint venture of Israeli-British firms, Shikun & Binui International-SBI/Colas Limited, had initially planned to hand over the airport to the government in June 2023. However, several factors have contributed to the delay.
Amos Muriisa, the Communications Manager at SBC, explained in an interview with Uganda Radio Network that they had rescheduled the handover to October to allow for the completion of crucial remaining works, such as the construction of the control tower and other operations at the airport.
Currently, the construction works stand at 91 per cent. Muriisa attributed the delay to the outbreak of COVID-19, which forced them to halt operations for several months.
He also cites the delayed release of funds by the government in February, which affected the progress of the works.
The contractor halted construction works after the government failed to allocate more than Shillings 126 billion required to finish the remaining tasks, including the control tower.
Construction work resumed in April after reaching a consensus with the government. Kabalega International Airport, financed by Standard Chartered Bank with a budget of USD 309 million, will have the capacity to accommodate four cargo planes simultaneously.
It will feature a fire station, apron, control tower, accommodation facilities, parallel runways, taxiway, air rescue firefighting house, power substation house, communications and navigation systems, perimeter fence, and air-ground illumination system, among other facilities. The runway, measuring 3.5 kilometres in length and 45 meters in width, is 99 per cent complete.
The cargo terminal building, limited-capacity passenger terminal building, air rescue firefighting house, power substation house, and air-ground lighting system are between 89 to 90 per cent complete.
The airport is expected to play a crucial role as one of the key support infrastructures for the upcoming commercial oil production activities.
Construction at the site began in April 2018 and was originally expected to be completed by June of this year.
In a recent cabinet decision, Hoima International Airport was renamed Kabalega International Airport, honouring Omukama (King) Kabalega, as the people of Bunyoro requested.