The Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) councillors from the five divisions of Kampala have expressed shock and astonishment after a guided tour at Kapeka Industrial Park, where they visited five out of the 19 factories in the area.
According to the councillors, Uganda has greatly developed, and its potential needs to be marketed and told to the rest of the country and the world.
They made these remarks on February 22, 2024, during a guided tour at Kapeka Industrial Park with instructors from Garuga, led by the Commandant of the institute, Major Jones Mugumya, where they are attending a leadership and patriotic cause.
“It is amazing and interesting to discover that all these factories and products are being made in our country. We buy and use products thinking they are imported, yet they are being produced in our backyard, and we were not aware,” the councillors said.
Harriet Namara, secretary to General Salim Saleh at the Kapeka office, stated that all of the enterprises in the industrial park use raw materials sourced from Uganda.
“We have 19 factories under operation, and you must know about the materials used because they are outsourced locally so that you can go and share what you have learned with others. Some companies here that use the same materials like clay, sand, and white marble, mangoes, pineapples, and jackfruit get them locally,” said Namara.
The councillors visited Good Will Limited (tiles and marble factory), HO and MU Foods (mango, jackfruit, and pineapple snack factory for export), Wawe Ltd. (toilet seats, sinks, water taps, plates, and cups), Cornerstone International (laptop bags and travelling bags), and Nana Shoes Factory, among others.
The councillors concluded the tour, perplexed as to why most politicians have been unable to explain and share the country’s development with the public.
“Most politicians have been doing a disservice to Uganda by claiming that President Museveni has done nothing for the country in the last 38 years he has been in power, yet as we have seen today, development is taking place on a large scale,” a councillor stated.
There are 22 industrial and business parks in Uganda spread throughout the country to boost value addition and job creation.
The parks include Kapeka Industrial Park, Kampala Industrial and Business Park (KIBP), Namanve, Luzira Industrial, and Bweyogerere Industrial Parks, among others.
