President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni today officially commissioned the groundbreaking of the long-awaited Kidepo International Airport in Karenga District, marking the start of one of Uganda’s most ambitious infrastructure projects and signaling a new era of tourism, trade and investment in the Karamoja sub-region.
The airport, which will be located near the world-renowned Kidepo Valley National Park, is expected to become Uganda’s third international airport after Entebbe International Airport and Kabalega International Airport.
The project stems from a partnership between the Government of Uganda and the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which signed a memorandum of understanding in 2024 to develop the airport and related tourism infrastructure.
For investors, the numbers are significant.
Plans indicate that Kidepo International Airport will feature a runway between 3,500 and 3,600 metres long, capable of accommodating wide-body aircraft including Boeing 777-class jets. The facility is projected to handle up to two million passengers annually when fully operational, placing it among Uganda’s largest aviation assets.
The airport is strategically positioned in northeastern Uganda, close to the borders of Kenya and South Sudan, creating a potential regional gateway for tourism, cargo movement and cross-border trade. It will dramatically reduce travel times to Kidepo Valley National Park, one of Africa’s most pristine wildlife destinations, which currently requires either lengthy road journeys from Kampala or access through a smaller airstrip.
Beyond aviation, the project is expected to catalyze billions of shillings in private-sector investment. The development plan includes hospitality facilities, lodges and tourism infrastructure around Kidepo, creating opportunities for hotel operators, real estate developers, logistics firms and service providers.
The Sharjah Chamber has also expressed interest in developing tourist hotels alongside the airport.
For Karamoja, the economic implications could be transformative.
The airport is expected to improve market access for agricultural products, livestock, mining activities and other emerging industries in the region. Karamoja possesses significant mineral resources, including gold, marble, granite, limestone and nickel deposits, whose commercial potential could be enhanced through improved transport connectivity.
President Museveni has consistently argued that strategic infrastructure is essential for attracting investment to historically underserved regions. Today’s groundbreaking ceremony sends a strong signal that Karamoja is increasingly being positioned as Uganda’s next major growth corridor.
As Uganda pursues higher tourist arrivals, regional trade integration and economic diversification, Kidepo International Airport could emerge as one of the country’s most consequential infrastructure investments of the decade—unlocking opportunities not only for Karamoja but for East Africa’s broader tourism and logistics ecosystem.
As of today, the official cost of Kidepo International Airport has not been publicly disclosed by either the Government of Uganda or the project’s developer, the UAE-based Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2024 announced the project but did not reveal a budget figure.
However, based on the scale of the proposed airport, analysts estimate that the investment could run into hundreds of millions of dollars.
For comparison, Uganda’s nearby Kabalega International Airport in Hoima, which has a similar 3.5-kilometre runway, was initially contracted at about US$309 million (approximately UGX 1.1 trillion at current exchange rates).
Given Kidepo’s planned size and associated tourism developments, aviation and infrastructure experts would likely place the project’s eventual value somewhere in the US$250 million–US$500 million range, although this remains an informed estimate rather than an officially announced figure.
The final cost will depend on whether the airport is built in phases and whether the hotels, cargo facilities and passenger terminal are included in the same financing package.