Plans for a proposed “Coffee International Airport” at the Africa Coffee Park in Rwashamaire, Ntungamo District, have drawn widespread scepticism from aviation experts and critics.
The park’s publicist, Duncan Abigaba, shared images on January 27 showing earthmoving at the site, announcing that the airport will feature a 5-kilometre runway and be completed within a year.
He claimed the project would boost tourism and trade in Western Uganda, linking it to a $30 million agro-processing initiative launched in 2023 that processes coffee into high-value goods and connects 12,500 farmers.
President Yoweri Museveni visited the site on January 24, praising progress at the factory.
However, critics point out several issues that raise doubts about the airport’s feasibility.
The Uganda Civil Aviation Authority has not issued any approvals, and experts note that Entebbe International Airport—Uganda’s main hub—has a runway of just 3.66 kilometres.
Hilly terrain at the Coffee Park site also poses engineering challenges, while the proposed timeline ignores years of preparatory work typically required for airport construction.
Social media users were quick to question the announcement. @weskambale wrote, “There is no airport in Africa with a 5km runway; the closest is Upington (4.9km) in South Africa, mostly used for cargo. Yet somehow a 5km runway will be built in Ntungamo 😂.”
Another critic, Kenneth Shaaka, described the project as “a bundle of unrelated vanity projects with zero industrial logic.”
Observers urge the government and project planners to focus on improving existing infrastructure rather than pursuing ambitious and potentially impractical proposals.
As of now, the story is developing, with further details expected on approvals, feasibility studies, and funding.
