Kabalega Airport nears completion, handover set for September

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Kabalega International Airport, located in Kabaale sub-county in Hoima district, has experienced delays, pushing the handover of the facility to the government to September this year.

Construction works for the airport commenced in April 2018 after the government secured a loan of €264m from Standard Chartered Bank and UK Export Finance for the first phase of the project. The works are being implemented by SBC Uganda Ltd, a joint venture between SBI International Holdings AG and Colas UK.

The contractor initially planned to hand over the airport in 2020, but this was postponed to December 2023, and later pushed again to February 2024.

Amos Muriisa, the communications manager at SBC, explained that the handover has now been rescheduled to September this year to allow for the completion of critical remaining works, particularly the construction of the control tower.

He attributed the delays to the delayed release of additional funding for the project and the impact of COVID-19.

Amos Muriisa, the Communications Manager at SBC explaining to CSCO members and UNOC officials about the progress of the Airport at the airport site. (Photo by Peter Abaanbasazi)

“The project started in 2018, and the construction period was around four years and ten months, but there have been some extensions. Majorly, COVID-19 affected our progress because whenever we would deploy like 100 workers, we had to reduce to 50 to follow the guidelines of social distancing. Then, in the middle of the works, we had a challenge of inadequate funding, and the government had to look for funds. All this delayed our progress, but as we talk now, we are above 96% general site progress,” he said.

He added that the only remaining work is the construction of the control tower. The materials and other equipment required for the control tower are expected to arrive in the country soon. Once delivered, they will be installed and the airport will be ready for operation.

Muriisa said that most of the critical components have already been completed. These include the 3.5-kilometre-long and 75-metre-wide runway, cargo terminal building, limited-capacity passenger terminal building, air rescue firefighting house, apron, communications and navigation systems, and the air-ground lighting system.

He noted that while water and electricity have not yet reached the site, the airport can operate on generators once construction is complete.

Muriisa made the remarks on April 30, 2025, during a field tour of various oil and gas projects, including the Tilenga project in Buliisa district, the Kingfisher oil field in Kikuube district, Kabalega Industrial Park—where Kabalega International Airport is being constructed and the refinery is planned—and Pump Station One (PS1) for the East African Crude Oil Pipeline in Hoima district. The tour was organised by the Civil Society Coalition on Oil and Gas (CSCO).

The three-day tour was facilitated by joint venture partners China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC), and TotalEnergies EP Uganda. It aimed to give CSCO members a deeper understanding of ongoing oil and gas developments.

The airport is expected to play a vital role as key infrastructure to support Uganda’s upcoming commercial oil production activities, such as the construction of the refinery. Kabalega International Airport will have the capacity to accommodate four cargo planes simultaneously.

In February 2023, the contractor temporarily halted construction due to a lack of funding from the government. The works were paused following the government’s failure to allocate an additional sh126 billion needed to complete the project. This came after several engagements by the contractor with government officials to secure the necessary funds, which proved unsuccessful at the time.

Robert Mukondo, social development specialist at CNOOC, said the airport is a key part of Kabalega Industrial Park, an initiative designed to strengthen Uganda’s oil and gas sector.

He said that completing the airport is essential, as it will facilitate the construction of the refinery, which is expected to begin this year with site clearing.

The oil refinery, designed to process 60,000 barrels per day, was established in Kabaale sub-county in Hoima district and is expected to cost $4b (sh14.6 trillion).

Henry Bazira, executive director of the Water Governance Institute and member of CSCO, expressed excitement about the progress of the projects. However, he emphasised the importance of promoting local content to ensure that local investors also benefit from the oil sector.