UIA acquires Mbale land

Sep 02, 2008

THE Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) has acquired 600 acres in Mbale that will be developed into an industrial park, the UIA director of industrial parks development has said.

By Joel Ogwang

THE Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) has acquired 600 acres in Mbale that will be developed into an industrial park, the UIA director of industrial parks development has said.

Arthur Bwire said the acquisition was in line with President Yoweri Museveni’s plan of creating many industrial parks to fight unemployment.

“We haven’t started developing it, but earthworks will kick off soon,” he said. The proposed Mbale industrial park is one of the 22 parks the Government intends to develop. Others will be built in Namanve, Gulu, Arua, Lira and Soroti.

Bwire noted that works on the $150m (about sh240b) Kampala Industrial and Business Park in Namanve were on course.

The first phase of the project will cost $26m. It will involve opening internal road networks to sub-grade level as well as the River Namanve drainage on the 896 acres.

Spencon Services beat five firms to get the sh9.7b contract that will also involve access for an inland port for the next 10 months.

About 30 encroachers on the Namanve site have been burning charcoal and bricks for sale on the previously idle land.

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