By Sarah Nanteza Kyobe
The Baganda have a saying: “Okutambula kulaba, okudda kunyumya”—to travel is to see, and to return home is to share the story. My recent visit to the China–Uganda Liao Shen Industrial Park in Nakaseke District, popularly known as Kapeeka Industrial Park, gave me a story worth telling.
Nakaseke is familiar; my late grandmother often took me there as a child, though I can’t really remember it from that time. Returning years later on a fact-finding mission to assess the park’s impact on the surrounding community, I found a place transformed.
One of the people I interviewed, Mr. Walekaki Majid, has lived in Kapeeka for many years. He recalled that the area was once a quiet rural community where the land now occupied by the industrial park was covered by maize fields.
Looking at the bustling manufacturing hub today, it is hard to imagine that it was once farmland.
Visitors are welcomed by a modern entrance and well-paved roads leading to 35 factories spread across more than 48 acres. The park has become a symbol of Uganda’s growing industrial ambitions.
Boosting Local Manufacturing
Our first stop was Goodwill Uganda Ceramic Company, where the sound of heavy machinery and the movement of workers reflected a factory operating at full capacity.
According to Administrative Manager Mr. Mawejje David, the company produces more than 40,000 square metres of ceramic floor and wall tiles every day. Between 18 and 20 truckloads leave the factory daily, supplying markets in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
What makes the company particularly significant is its reliance on local resources. More than 90 percent of its raw materials are sourced within Uganda, supporting local suppliers while strengthening the country’s industrial value chain.
The factory employs between 1,100 and 1,200 people, making it one of the largest employers in the area.
Mr. Mawejje noted that local production has significantly reduced Uganda’s dependence on imported tiles, saving the country millions of dollars annually while generating foreign exchange through exports.
Producing Locally, Competing Regionally
Adjacent to Goodwill is Venus Industries Uganda Company Limited, an assembler of lighting products and household electrical appliances.
Like many Ugandans, I had assumed most lighting products sold locally were imported. I was surprised to learn that many are assembled in Kapeeka.
The company produces LED bulbs, tube lights, street lights, extension cables, fans, calculators, and other electrical appliances for both local and regional markets, including Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan, and South Sudan.
Venus Industries employs about 600 people, ranging from engineers and technicians to unskilled workers.
Many recruits arrive with no previous factory experience but receive practical training in assembly, wiring, soldering, quality control, packaging, and logistics, equipping them with valuable skills for long-term employment.
The Hau Hui International Group manufactures ceramic bathroom fixtures, such as toilets and wash basins, as well as household products, including plates and cups.
These products serve Uganda and neighbouring markets while creating employment opportunities for both skilled and unskilled workers.
Through practical on-the-job training, the company is helping build a more skilled Ugandan manufacturing workforce.
Expanding Uganda’s Export Potential
Another standout company is Gocta Workwear Uganda, which produces industrial protective clothing exclusively for export.
During our visit, workers were completing an order of more than 10,000 heavy-duty winter safety garments destined for Romania, with other exports going to France, Greece, and the Czech Republic.
The factory demonstrates Uganda’s growing ability to compete in international industrial textile markets.
Yale International Investment is also making an important contribution to Uganda’s agricultural sector, using its industrial-grade equipment to clean, dry, store, and improve maize.
By linking smallholder farmers to modern commercial grain markets, the company is helping to reduce post-harvest losses while improving quality and market access.
Transforming Communities Through Industrialisation
The impact of Kapeeka Industrial Park extends far beyond factory walls.
It has created thousands of jobs, strengthened local supply chains, increased exports, promoted technology transfer, and supported Uganda’s broader industrialisation agenda.
Young people, including school leavers without advanced academic qualifications, are gaining practical skills that improve their employability and provide sustainable livelihoods.
My visit to Kapeeka reinforced one important lesson: industrialisation is not simply about factories or machines. It is about creating opportunities, transforming communities, and giving people hope for a better future.
What was once farmland has become a thriving production centre, proving that with the right investment and vision, Uganda can build a competitive manufacturing sector capable of serving both regional and international markets.
The writer works with Uganda Media Centre.