Iganga Struggles to Secure Land for Industrial Park
Minister Rebecca Kadaga during the meeting with the local leaders
Efforts to construct an industrial park in Iganga District have stalled due to the local government’s failure to secure at least 200 acres of land.
The project, which was expected to kick off last financial year, remains in limbo as land disputes and indecision persist.
First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Affairs Rebecca Kadaga, while addressing over 1,000 women’s groups from the Busoga sub-region on January 7 at Iganga Municipal Council playgrounds, highlighted the importance of the industrial park.
She said the park could provide employment opportunities for over 30,000 youths in the region.
Kadaga urged the district leaders to resolve issues with landowners swiftly to allow the project to commence.
“At first, the district proposed that the park would be constructed in Namungalwe, then they changed to Nakalama, and now they are saying things have failed,” Kadaga lamented.
The proposed industrial park is intended to manufacture spare parts for tractors and other agricultural machinery, which would be sold to farmers at subsidized prices, boosting agricultural productivity in the Busoga sub-region and beyond.
Kadaga also revealed that Busoga University is set to resume operations soon. Renovations by the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) engineering brigade have prepared the institution for a final assessment by the National Council for Higher Education.
“Very soon, students will be admitted, saving parents the high costs incurred in other institutions of higher learning,” Kadaga announced.
She further urged residents along the Iganga-to-Luuka road to allow the government to begin upgrading the road to tarmac, promising that compensation would follow.
The project, a 2021 campaign promise by President Museveni, has been delayed due to residents demanding payment before work begins.
Kadaga also pledged to lobby for funds to ensure Iganga benefits from the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development (USMID) programme.
The programme aims to enhance farmers’ access to markets by improving transport infrastructure.
Resident District Commissioner Sadala Wandera called on leaders to encourage persons with disabilities to register for national identification cards to access government programs like the Parish Development Model.
Wandera also acknowledged that wrangles among sub-county leaders over the industrial park’s location had further delayed the project.
He appealed to women and youth to embrace government initiatives to uplift household incomes.
LC5 Chairman Ezra Gabula criticized the implementation of the GROW project, stating that some women are unfairly excluded from the program despite meeting the qualifications.
For now, the fate of the industrial park—and its promise of employment and economic growth—remains uncertain as district leaders grapple with resolving land disputes.
