Jinja has enormous potential

By Fred Ikaaba

JINJA could possibly be the only town on this planet that is astride a river but is underdeveloped. And moreover that river is none other than River Nile. 

The underdevelopment of Jinja is symptomatic of its hinterlands hence the common adage that Busoga is poverty stricken perhaps by Divine design. 

Jinja by virtue of its location has potential to be a huge tourist destination for all descendants of Eve. 

And from which those who come to Jinja can then traverse the entire country's thrills and in so doing leave wads of dollars in their trail. 

But there is an impediment to this. For a tourist who has come to see the Nile and would want to see Kidepo National Park, that person must first get back to Entebbe Airport. 

Now factoring in the traffic jams from Mukono to Zana and the dusty roads of ours, Jinja then lies on the disadvantaged side of the coin. 

This is a laughable matter considering the fact that Jinja has Kimaka Airfield that can be developed into a fully fledged Airport to even handle medium size planes. 

Remember this same airport can facilitate trade in agricultural and horticultural produce within the East African region. 

Now ladies and gentlemen, there has been many a workshop, symposium, groups, papers, Parliamentary Resolutions, Presidential Initiatives e.t.c concerning poverty alleviation in Busoga or the East in general and they have come to naught. 

In my opinion if poverty is ever to be eradicated from Busoga or the East in general, Urbanization is the answer and one of the principal accelerators of Urbanization is the refurbishment of Kimaka Airfield. 

Therefore, all that are Basoga, those neighbouring Busoga like Buikwe and Kayunga districts, well wishers within and outside Busoga, Easterners in general, those holed up in the diaspora, should as one voice demand for this Airport. 

The potential to be unlocked is enormous.

Writer is a resident of Jinja.