President Yoweri Museveni has revealed that Nyakishara in Mbarara has been chosen as the site for a new international airport, marking one of the region’s biggest development projects in recent years.
Speaking during his campaign rally in Mbarara on Monday, President Museveni said the location was selected by both Chinese and Brazilian partners due to its strategic advantage in shortening international flight routes.
The new facility, he noted, will be comparable in scale to Entebbe International Airport and is expected to unlock vast economic opportunities for western Uganda.
Museveni tied the announcement to the broader story of Uganda’s transformation, recalling how the very routes he once traversed during the liberation struggle—carrying a gun—are now corridors of peace and stability.
He said that calm now stretches from Karamoja to Kisoro and from Busia to Bundibugyo, a result of the NRM’s politics of fairness, inclusivity, and non-sectarian governance.
The President also announced upgrades to key road networks within Mbarara District. These include the Bwizibwera–Nsika–Nyakashaka–Nyakabirizi road and the Biharwe–Rwantysinga–Kaguhanzya–Bwentama–Bwizibwera route.
He emphasized that improved transport infrastructure will support the upcoming airport project and accelerate the region’s economic growth.
Museveni praised Mbarara’s steady development as proof of what sustained peace, rational policies, and unity can achieve.
The forthcoming airport, he added, will position the region as a major hub for trade, tourism, and investment once construction begins.
