Frustrating Nyakisharara airport project is a grave crime against Uganda

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OPINION

By Habibu Sseruwagi

The debate around Nyakisharara International Airport is not merely about bricks and mortar; it is about Uganda’s destiny. Attempts by the Parliament committee on infrastructure to frustrate this project risk undermining national progress, stifling local capacity and betraying the President’s vision for transformative development. Supporting Base Seven is not just about a contractor — it is about affirming Uganda’s right to build, dream and rise.

Uganda stands at a crossroads, where vision must triumph over hesitation. The proposal to construct Nyakisharara airport in Mbarara is more than an infrastructure project; it is a declaration of intent that Uganda will no longer be confined to the margins of global trade and aviation. Yet, instead of rallying behind this bold step, Parliament has chosen to cast doubt, to question and to delay. Their quarrels over Base Seven’s capacity betray a deeper malaise: A reluctance to trust Ugandan firms, a failure to recognise that capacity is built through opportunity, not denied through suspicion.

Base Seven, although formally registered in Uganda in 2024, is not an isolated entity. Its alliance with B7 International provides the technical backbone and financial muscle necessary to deliver on this monumental task. To dismiss it on the grounds of youth is to deny the very principle of growth. Every great firm began somewhere, and Uganda’s future contractors must be nurtured through projects of this scale. Parliament’s scepticism, therefore, is not a safeguard but a stumbling block, one that risks crippling the very local capacity we claim to desire.

The President’s counsel on this matter is wise and far-sighted. He understands that Nyakisharara airport is not simply about Mbarara — it is about positioning Uganda as a hub for trade, tourism, and continental integration. Two 5.5km runways and a reserve runway are not luxuries; they are necessities for long-haul flights, for cargo that will connect Uganda to South America, Asia and beyond. The airport promises jobs, investment and a new economic lifeline for western Uganda. To oppose such a project is not patriotism; it is sabotage dressed in parliamentary procedure.

Uganda has suffered before from the paralysis of bureaucracy. Projects delayed, opportunities lost, investors discouraged — all because committees chose to debate endlessly rather than act decisively. The memory of stalled industrial parks, delayed road networks and frustrated energy projects should serve as a warning. Each time the Parliament drags its feet, Uganda pays the price in lost growth, diminished confidence and weakened sovereignty. Nyakisharara airport must not join that graveyard of frustrated dreams.

What is needed now is a legal framework that enforces presidential directives in matters of national development. Parliament should not have the power to derail projects of strategic importance. The President, elected to lead and entrusted with vision, must be given veto powers in such sensitive situations. This is not about diminishing democracy; it is about safeguarding progress. When the stakes are as high as they are with Nyakisharara, hesitation is costly, and obstruction is unforgivable.

The benefits of this airport are manifold. It will open western Uganda to international tourism, allowing visitors to access the region’s natural beauty with ease.

It will boost trade, enabling farmers and manufacturers to export directly without relying solely on Entebbe. It will create jobs, from construction to operations and stimulate ancillary industries such as hospitality, logistics and retail. It will enhance Uganda’s geopolitical standing, signalling to the world that we are ready to compete, connect and lead. These are not abstract promises; they are tangible gains that will transform lives.

To resist such a project is to resist Uganda itself. It is to deny our people the opportunities they deserve, to stifle our contractors and to undermine our President’s vision. Policymakers must recognise that patriotism is not found in endless debate but in decisive action. Citizens must see that opposing Nyakisharara airport is not caution but cowardice. Every Ugandan should rally behind this project, for it represents not just an airport but a future of dignity, prosperity and pride.

In the end, history will judge us not by the questions we asked but by the projects we built. The Nyakisharara airport is a test of our resolve, a measure of our faith in ourselves. Parliament may choose to frustrate, but Uganda must choose to rise. Let us resist obstruction, embrace vision and build the runway to our destiny. For to oppose Nyakisharara is to oppose Uganda, and that is a betrayal no patriot should accept.

The writer is a member of the Equal Opportunities Commission of Uganda