KABALE: Kabale’s chances of getting a well-serviced industrial park have kept going down since the Cabinet decided to give Kisoro more attention, the URN reporter says.
In August last year, a team from Uganda Investments Authority-UIA led by Evelyn Anite, State Minister of Finance for Privatization, David Kwesiga Bahati, State Minister for Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, Victoria Businge Rusoke, State minister for Local Government, and Wilfred Niwagaba, Ndorwa East County member of parliament, visited the land hosting Kanyinaburiba airstrip in Kanyinaburiba village of Kyanamira Sub-county, which was earmarked by Kabale district council about three years ago to host the industrial park.
Because the land doesn’t have any title and is less than 50 acres, Anite has a lot of doubts about the president’s recommendation that it be at least 500 acres.
Leaders from the Kabale District LC5 led by Nelson Nshangabasheija, the chairman of the Kabale District LC5, urged Anite to let Kabale get a fully-fledged industrial park, saying that the land crisis is a big problem in Kabale, and that most residents live on trade.
Major (rtd) Fred Bwino Kyakulaga, the State Minister for Agriculture in charge of Crop Production, told a URN reporter that at last week’s cabinet meeting, which he attended, it was decided to build a full-fledged industrial park in the Kisoro district.
Kyakulaga says that the cabinet was convinced that Kisoro has more than 620 acres of land located in Kibaya, Nyakrubuye sub county in the Uganda-Democratic Republic of Gongo border town council of Bunagana, which is enough and fits into the 500 acres recommended by the government.
Kyakulaga also says that Kisoro was given a priority because products from the industrial park will be easily exported to the neighboring DR Congo markets. He also says that other opportunities will favor Rukungiri and Kanungu because the cabinet was informed that the two districts also have enough land to host industrial parks.
He adds that with the small size of land in Kabale, the cabinet will only come up with a smaller arrangement for it.
Nelson Nshangabasheija, Kabale District LC5 chairman, declined to comment on the matter. Abel Biziaman, Kisoro District LC5 Chairman, says that they are ready to receive the industrial park because it will bring a positive change in Kisoro in terms of trade and employment opportunities.
In May last year, President Yoweri Museveni approved the establishment of 25 industrial parks in all sub-regions of the country. He said at the time that the parks would be established in Arua and Adjumani in West Nile, Gulu in Acholi, Lira in Lango, Moroto in Karamoja, Soroti in Teso, Mbale in Bugisu, Jinja in Busoga, Kabale in Kigezi and Rukungiri in Western Nile, Mbarara in Ankole, and Hoima in Bunyoro, Mukono, Namanve, Kapeeka in Nakaseke, and Mengo in Kampala.
At least 15 industrial parks have been established in the last five years. The parks were set up in Mbale, Kapeeka, Buikwe, Njeru, Namanve, Jinja, Soroti, Kampala Industrial and Business Park, Luzira Industrial and Business Park, and Bweyogerere industrial estate.
In October 2019, the government gave 130 billion shillings to help set up 20 industrial parks in different parts of the country.