By THE OBSERVER UG
FILE President Museveni commissions a military helicopter delivered by Russians at Nakasongola Air Force Base
The ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs is seeking Shs 57 billion for the revamping of Nakasongola Air Force Base.
This is contained in the ministry’s Shs 9 trillion Budget Framework Paper (BFP) for FY 2024/2025 currently being scrutinized by the parliament’s committee on defence and internal affairs chaired by the Nyabushozi County MP, Wilson Kajwenjye.
While defending the ministry’s BFP, Vincent Ssempijja, minister of Defence and Veteran Affairs explained that Nakasongola Air Force Base, located in Wabisi village in Nakasongola district said the base is a significant alternative to Entebbe International Airport in case of any emergencies.
According to Ssempijja, the ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development has not allocated any funds towards the crucial project. He expressed dismay that the ministry faces a shortfall of Shs 5.2 trillion after only Shs 3.8 trillion of Shs 9 trillion has been allocated in the national budget.
With a runway of 3.6km, the Air Force wing was constructed by the Israelites in the 1970s as the headquarters of the Uganda Air Force. It is one of the five national medium-sized military airports in the country alongside Entebbe, Gulu, Jinja, and Soroti airports.
In 2014, the government through the Civil Aviation Authority and the ministry of Works and Transport injected $11 million (about Shs 28 billion) to renovate the airport to enable the relocation of UPDF Air Force headquarters to decongest Entebbe Air Force Base.
However, in 2016 the construction of a radar system on the site was still incomplete and threatened by a land ownership dispute. As of 2019, the relocation of the Air Force had reportedly still not occurred.
In January 2022, the UPDF Air Force unveiled a helicopter maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) unit at the Nakasongola Air Force Base. The installation is a joint venture between National Enterprise Corporation (NEC) and a Russian company, Pro Heli International Services Limited.
Discussion about this post