By THE OBSERVER UG
If Uganda was seeking a silver lining from the prospect of private companies managing some of its airfields, then there is a need for a rethink.
The government’s first experiment of such a strategy, where it handed a private company a concession to manage and upgrade the Masindi airfield, has fallen flat after it failed to meet basic expectations. The Civil Aviation Authority issued a public notice last week, saying it had terminated the concession it signed with Ndege Juu Africa Limited in 2012, citing the company’s failure to meet set targets of upgrading the Masindi aerodrome.
In a public notice issued last week, the Civil Aviation Authority further explained that it had failed to reach the directors of the company at their registered address.
“Please note that this public notice has been necessitated by the failure to reach Ndege Juu Africa Limited at its known address,” the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announced last week.
Of the 13 airfields that the CAA manages, only the Masindi airfield had been handed to a private developer. The authority had been hopeful that an upgrade of the airport would transform that region’s economic fortunes.
The airfield, located in the Kyema suburb of Masindi municipality in Bunyoro sub-region, is close to Murchison Falls national park, the largest in Uganda. There was hope that an upgraded Masindi airfield could attract more tourists to the national park, especially those who do not wish to do the more than 150km drive from Kampala to Masindi.
Also, Masindi forms part of the Bunyoro oil region, where more than $10 billion worth of investments are being made. The Masindi airfield was anticipated to serve a number of workers working on Uganda’s oil project.
Instead, it is the Pakuba airfield in Nwoya district, which is an ecologically sensitive area, that now hosts many of the inbound flights into the oil region. Vianney Luggya, the spokesperson for UCAA, explained that the initial agreement with Ndege Juu Africa Ltd was aimed at developing the airfield to international standards and managing its daily operations.
Unfortunately, more than 10 years down the road, Masindi airfield still lags behind in terms of development, compelling UCAA to reclaim control and ensure the fulfillment of its original vision.
“We handed the aerodrome to them to develop it as per the agreement and to manage it but that was not done. So, that’s why we terminated the contact and we are repossessing the airfield,” Luggya said.
It is not clear why Ndege Juu Africa Limited, which entered the Uganda market promising heaven on earth, failed to meet even the basic standards. When we called the listed phone numbers on their address, the person who picked up said it was a “wrong number.” The company lacks a reasonable social media presence, making it hard to be traced.
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