Govt eyes sh1.4b revenue from Kololo Independence Grounds rent

KAMPALA - Government plans to raise sh1.4 billion in non-tax revenue from renting out Kololo Independence Grounds in the 2026/27 financial year.

The Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs, led by minister Jacob Marksons Oboth and permanent secretary Rosette Byengoma, disclosed this on Tuesday (January 27), while appearing before the House Committee on Defence and Internal Affairs, chaired by Nyabushozi County MP Wilson Kajwengye.

Documents submitted to the committee indicate that the projected earnings form part of a wider sh2.24 billion non-tax revenue target.

Under the plan, the ministry also expects to collect sh380 million from boarding off assets, sh40 million from hiring land masts, sh30 million from guarding strategic installations and another sh30 million from the sale of bid documents.

The disclosure comes amid growing concern from lawmakers over what they described as discriminatory criteria in the hiring of the grounds, claims which Byengoma rejected.

“We do have a dedicated desk that handles the hire of Kololo airstrip, and we have a schedule depending on who comes in when. So, we hire the airstrip depending on that schedule. If you apply and you are first come, then you will be first served,” she said.

The discussion took a political turn when the committee chairperson asked whether the grounds could be hired by opposition parties, particularly the National Unity Platform.

“So, if NUP (National Unity Platform) and then NRM (National Resistance Movement) applied depending on who comes first,” Kajwengye posed.

Byengoma declined to respond, saying the matter was political. Defence minister Oboth stepped in, denying claims that any political party had ever been blocked from hiring the venue, but stressed that approval depended on organisation and discipline.

“When you hire something, if we know that you may not manage your crowd well, we also have the liberty to say no. We don’t want vandalism in that place, but we have never said no to this political party. It is only that they mix up things. If they are organised well, like the party where I belong, they have never been denied. And I believe it's an open place, there have been several functions, not only political,” Oboth said.

Currently, the grounds host operations of the National Identification and Registration Authority.

Committee chairperson Kajwengye said legislators want the agency relocated to a permanent site, citing frequent disruptions to its work caused by public gatherings.