Reimagining Karamoja as the Gateway to Uganda’s Tourism and Investment Future
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has announced plans to establish Kidepo International Airport, a new world-class aviation hub in Karamoja that will rival Entebbe International Airport in size and capacity. The announcement was made before thousands of supporters at Naitakwae Boma Grounds in Moroto District, marking a major milestone in Uganda’s drive toward high middle-income status.
“We are going to build an international airport in Kidepo as big as Entebbe,” said President Museveni. “It will be built by private investors who will also construct hotels there. Our wildlife is our sports aren, tourists come to watch, relax, and pay. This is part of economic infrastructure.”
Accompanied by the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Maama Janet Kataaha Museveni, the President said the airport would be a major catalyst for tourism and hospitality, drawing global investors and high-end travelers to Kidepo Valley National Park, one of Africa’s most unspoiled natural treasures.
Reflecting on the region’s transformation, the President highlighted Karamoja’s progress from a history of conflict and deprivation to a growing center of stability and opportunity. “In 1980, Karamoja had only 190,000 people. Today, it has over 1.5 million,” he said. “This growth is because of peace, health, and immunization. Many of these young people are alive today because NRM brought stability and healthcare.”
Museveni credited this progress to the NRM’s politics of unity, which ended decades of insecurity and opened the way for education, infrastructure, and investment. He cited improvements in energy, transport, and water systems as central to unlocking the region’s productivity. Electricity now reaches from Soroti to Karenga, while major roads such as the Moroto–Kaabong route are being upgraded. Water for production has expanded through valley dams and tanks, including the 20-million-litre Nadipal Valley Tank and the upcoming 1.5-billion-litre Nakonyen Valley Dam, alongside solar-powered irrigation systems.
In education and health, the President said government efforts continue to strengthen service delivery. Every parish will have a government primary school and every sub-county a secondary school, while health facilities, anchored by Moroto Regional Referral Hospital are being expanded. On wealth creation, he reiterated his Four-Acre Model as a practical plan for household transformation through organized production of cash crops, food, and livestock.
Earlier in the day, Museveni inspected the Yaobai International Holding Cement Uganda–SMC Ltd plant, the largest industrial facility in Karamoja. Once operational, it will produce 12,000 tonnes of clinker daily, boosting Uganda’s construction sector and creating local jobs. “This factory will greatly contribute to our construction industry and create jobs for our people,” he said.
Government data shows that 10,650 households in rural parishes have benefited from UGX 10.65 billion under the Parish Development Model (PDM), while 70 Emyooga SACCOs with 15,551 members have received UGX 2.91 billion to support micro-enterprises. Access to safe water now covers 57% of villages, with expansion ongoing through new valley tanks. More than 16,500 pupils are enrolled in government primary schools and 2,570 students in secondary institutions across Moroto.
First Lady Maama Janet Museveni urged residents to sustain the region’s progress by supporting the NRM and the President in the forthcoming elections. “Karamoja has witnessed the fruits of the Movement’s leadership. I urge you all to turn out in large numbers and vote for President Museveni and the NRM,” she said.
Once marginalized, Karamoja is now emerging as a vital frontier of Uganda’s transformation. With peace restored and infrastructure expanding, the region is being reimagined as a gateway for tourism, investment, and industrial growth. The planned Kidepo International Airport will stand as a symbol of that transformationa bold statement of Uganda’s vision to protect its gains and make a qualitative leap into high middle-income status.
