Museveni greenlights construction of major international airport at Nyakisharara

President Yoweri Museveni has given the go-ahead for the development of a major international airport at Nyakisharara, in Mbarara district.

The airport is to be built at the Nyakisharara airdrome, located 10km outside Mbarara City on the Mbarara-Ibanda road.

The president, in a directive dated 11 February 2026, addressed to the Prime Minister and other senior government officials, instructed them “to help a Company known as Base Seven Company to implement a mega transport project…at and around the Government Aerodrome of Nyakyisharara, near Mbarara.” 

Museveni said the project is envisioned as a fully operational international gateway that will transform the modest aerodrome into a major transport hub.

He noted that Nyakyisharara could serve global travel more efficiently. 

According to the president, with two distant zones of the world, namely Brazil and China now trading and communicating more frequently, Nyakisharara could serve as a link between them.

“Their route of communication is wholly irrational and uneconomic. What is that route? It is South America, over the Atlantic, over Europe, Asia etc to China and back. It takes 34 – 42 hours. Yet, if somebody was to come from Brazil, refuel at Nyakyisharara, it would take him 20 hours of flying time. It takes 9 hours from South America to Nyakyisharara and 11 hours from Nyakyisharara to China,” he said.

The President also recorded that the proposed airport and supporting facilities would be funded by Base Seven using a Build, Operate and Transfer model before reverting to the government.

The project will span 21 square kilometres, with two main runways of approximately 5.5 km each and an additional VIP runway measuring 3.7 km. 

The letter also calls for the relocation of the existing Ibanda–Mbarara public road to the east of Nyakyisharara to accommodate the development and stresses the involvement of key ministries, including Works and Transport, Lands, Finance and the Attorney-General.

The decision to advance the Nyakisharara airport comes as Uganda prepares to commission Kabalega International Airport at Hoima District, a separate facility that is nearing completion and intended to bolster the nation’s aviation capacity. 

Kabalega International Airport, located in the Albertine region, has been under construction since 2018 with the aim of supporting the country’s burgeoning oil and gas sector and enhancing regional connectivity. 

As of early 2026, the airport is on track to be handed over to the government in March, with final installations and international certification processes underway.

When completed, Kabalega will feature a 3.5 km paved runway capable of handling large cargo aircraft and will be equipped with essential passenger and support facilities designed to facilitate logistics for Uganda’s oil industry, agriculture, tourism and broader economic activity.