Museveni Announces New International Airport For Mbarara

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on Monday told supporters in Mbarara that the region is set for a major economic boost following its selection as the site of Uganda’s next international airport.

Addressing a rally, the President said Nyakishara had been chosen by Chinese and Brazilian partners for the construction of a new international airport that will be “the size of Entebbe” and strategically positioned to shorten global air routes.

He said the project would unlock significant investment and transform Mbarara and the wider Ankole sub-region.

“I reminded our people that the same routes I once passed with guns are now places of peace and stability,” Museveni said, recalling the turbulent years of the 1979 and 1985 conflicts.

“This calm, from Karamoja to Kisoro and from Busia to Bundibugyo, comes from the NRM’s politics of fairness and unity, not the sectarianism that once divided Uganda.”

The President said Mbarara’s rapid development was a result of sustained stability and “correct policies” pursued by the NRM government over the years.

Alongside the airport announcement, Museveni unveiled fresh infrastructure commitments, including upgrades to the Bwizibwera–Nsika–Nyakashaka–Nyakabirizi road and the Biharwe–Rwantysinga–Kaguhanzya–Bwentama–Bwizibwera route.

These improvements, he said, would further support trade, mobility, and regional productivity.

The President also greeted residents in Runyankole, saying, “Nimwebare munonga, Abanya Mbarara,” thanking them for their support and highlighting their role in the region’s continued progress.

With the general elections just weeks away, Museveni’s message combined nostalgia, political appeal, and promises of major development projects—framing Mbarara as a symbol of what he described as the NRM’s achievements in peace and economic transformation.