President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has announced plans to construct a new international airport in Mbarara that will be larger than Entebbe International Airport, in a move he says is intended to strengthen Uganda’s trade links with South America and China.
The President made the revelation today while presiding over the National Tarehe Sita celebrations at Kabale National Teachers’ College (NTC). Addressing the gathering on Friday , Museveni said the proposed facility would position western Uganda as a key regional trade and logistics hub.
“We are going to build another, bigger airport, larger than Entebbe International Airport, in Mbarara to boost trade relations with South America and China,” Museveni said.
The announcement builds on Museveni’s earlier declaration made in December 2025, when Nyakisharara, near Mbarara City, was selected as the preferred site for the multi-billion-shilling project.
This followed talks held in September 2025 with a Chinese consortium expected to fund and construct the airport.
However, the proposal has already sparked mixed reactions among the public. On social media platform X, some users raised concerns over regional imbalance, noting that Mbarara lies in the President’s home region. Others questioned the urgency of building a new mega airport at a time when Entebbe International Airport is yet to fully utilise its expanded capacity and the country faces competing economic priorities.
Despite the criticism, government officials argue that the planned airport is part of a long-term strategy to open up new international markets and reduce congestion at Entebbe in the future.
More details on funding, timelines and scope of the project are expected to be released in the coming months.
