Dr. Wambaka explains to stakeholders how the RAP was done
Government through the Ministry of Tourism has lauded Ugandan genius Dr. Kosea Wambaka for finally setting the pace for the rollout of the Source of the Nile Development Project (SONDP).
According to Daudi Migereko, the Chairman Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), this project has remained in the pipeline for donkey’s years, with its implementation always lagging for decades on, much to the chagrin of the people of Jinja who hoped to tap into it to cause socio-economic development to the entire Busoga region and the country at large.
“We the people of Busoga have waited for this project for many years. For my case actually, we started sitting in meetings for developing the source of the Nile while I was still a councilor together with the likes of Faith Mwondha. Somehow, however, the project has lagged behind but I hope this time around it is going to take off to completion,” Migereko said while addressing participants at a stakeholders’ meeting for the launch of the Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) for this project at the Source of the Nile Hotel in Jinja on Tuesday.
Migereko roots for the SONDP
Dr. Wambaka & SFI to the rescue
While responding to Migereko’s query, however, Jimmy Kigozi from the Ministry of Tourism assured the veteran politician-cum-entrepreneur that this time around there’s no turning back on this particular project, thanks to the unprecedented wonder work of Uganda’s own genius in Dr. Kosea Wambaka.
Kigozi who is the project coordinator of the Source of the Nile Development Project (SONDP) at the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, noted that after very many years of searching, government finally landed a master plan for the entire project’s implementation. Kigozi noted that the project’s master plan was designed by Strategic Friends International (SFI), a globally acclaimed consultancy firm under the proprietorship of Dr. Kosea Wambaka (PhD) (PhD).
Kigozi further noted that actually, Tuesday’s RAP launch is at the implementation phase of the project; informed by government’s desire to acquire the vast land needed to effect the project which is earmarked by the National Development Plan 3 (NDP III) as being among those to fast track Uganda into the middle income status as per Vision 2040.
“The SONDP is a 20-year project but which is now at implementation stage, with a few aspects of it already underway,” Kigozi said, naming the installation of street lighting as well as construction of the pier at the Source of the Nile area among the sub-projects so far going on. He however noted that the ongoing projects are premised on land so far owned by government.
“However, the total land needed for the entire project is so vast— covering a 3-km radius from the Source of the Nile. This is why government contracted SFI to conduct the resettlement action plan to relocate people within that area so as to free up land for the project,” Kigozi explained.
Quickly thereafter however, Kigozi went into superlatives while explaining why government through the ministry of tourism chose SFI to design the RAP.
“I would like to inform members here that SFI did a very good project master plan to the extent that simply reading it makes one visualize the entire project. We are therefore confident that basing on what they did on the master plan, they will ably enable government to smoothly resettle all the PAPs,” he said.
SFI’s Track Record
But bar the impressive work on the project’s master plan, SFI’s track record in resettlement action plans is unrivaled, with its experience speaking volumes.
History for instance shows that the firm under Dr. Wambaka has previously played a key role in Uganda’s oil journey where it handled big projects including the Resettlement Action Plan for the oil refinery and the Refined Petroleum products pipeline from Hoima to Mpigi.
It’s therefore not surprising that MTWA has found him resourceful in its efforts to turn the SON a world class tourism attraction that will earn Uganda millions of dollars.
And during Tuesday’s launch of the RAP, Dr. Wambaka, the Head of Programs/ Lead Consultant at SFI, told participants that SFI’s ability to pull off such grand projects is hinged on its core values of prioritizing professionalism, perfection, honesty and value for money in all they do.
Dr. Wambaka says the SON can become an international tourism attraction if its current status is upgraded to the recommended standard.
Before recommending the infrastructure required to turn the SON into an iconic tourism centre, Dr. Wambaka bench-marked on a number of tourist attractions including the Mein River in German, Heidelberg Castle in Germany, the Nile Delta in Egypt and Red Square in Moscow, among others.
Wambaka says these tourist attractions have been well developed and are attracting big numbers of tourists yet they don’t have a strong appealing name like that of the Source of the Nile.
“If we capitalize on the name of the Source of the Nile, we can make wonders. The Source of the Nile can become an international tourism destination,” Dr. Wambaka told participants, adding that the SON should have an attractive entrance, Source of the Nile monument, an aquarium and cable cars among other facilities.
However, the required infrastructure requires land which must be acquired since 90% of the required land is privately owned.
Dr. Wambaka said Government intends to acquire land that falls within a radius of three kilometers from the Source of the Nile. This means part of Jinja City will be affected by this development.
“Much of the property in the city may remain but will need to upgrade to the required level. We are not going to take over all the properties,” he said.
He said Government will “adequately compensate” land owners for their land and the property therein based on valuation rates developed by District Land Boards and approved by the Office of Chief Government Valuer.
The land owners whose land will be acquired will also be paid a disturbance allowance of 30%. For example, if someone’s compensation is Shs100m, they will be paid an extra Shs30m as disturbance allowance.
He explained that the Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) harmonizes and provides mitigation measures against the adverse impacts of the new development.
He added that the RAP will cover sensitization of stakeholders, socio-economic baseline survey, the cadastral survey that cover a radius of three kilometers from the Source of the Nile, valuation and eventual compensation of the affected persons.
“Compensation can be cash or one may opt for relocation,” he said, adding that the project will be complete within 18 months. The valuation and compensation is expected within seven months from now.
Why Govt Is Prioritizing SON
Speaking at the same event, Jimmy Kigozi, the Principal Tourism Officer at MTWA, said Government is desirous to develop a number of products in the country and when they took a census of a number of tourism products that needed serious intervention, Source of the Nile ranked highly. Other products include Rwenzori, Kitagata hot springs and Kagulu hills among others.
Ministry of Tourism’s Jimmy Kigozi explains to participants
“The aim behind this project is purely to transform the Source of the Nile to a world class status. The site currently doesn’t have the infrastructure that will attract tourists or engage travelers when they come to the site. So, we (MTWA) are saying we can’t watch the SON stay the way it is. We are desirous to see modern infrastructure constructed at the SON. However, much of the land where we need to put this infrastructure is private land. So we are rolling out a campaign to ensure that we get the land to set up the required infrastructure. That’s why we hired SFI to undertake Resettlement Action Plan Study aimed at getting us the much needed land for this project,” Kigozi, who’s also the Project Coordinator for Source of the Nile Development Project, said.
He also revealed that there’s land that is not contested (public land) that Government will soon start utilizing.
“It’s owned by Jinja City and we are in final stages of getting a contractor that will construct a modern Pier (a docking area) that will have a viewing platform, that will have a restaurant, clean washrooms, modern parking area, aquarium among others,” he said.
Asked about the cost of the Pier, Kigozi said they’re still at the procurement stage but it’s estimated that Shs15bn will see the facility up and running.
He said the contract will be awarded before the end of this Financial Year (before 1st July 2023).
In the land that Government will acquire, Kigozi says: “We have infrastructure that we are planning for in that area including zip line infrastructure where someone can connect from the Eastern banks to the Western banks. We will have a cable car infrastructure, modern cruise liners for people to enjoy the waters both on the Lake (Victoria) and the River. We will have children play facilities, we will have a Nile Civilization Village for people to know the civilization along the Nile, the historical park. We’ll have quite a number of infrastructure or facilities that will steer activities at the Source of the Nile.”
He said the modern infrastructure being planned will not only attract more tourists, but also make tourists stay longer and spend more.
A number of technical and political leaders welcomed the project, saying it’s long overdue. They pledged to support the project on grounds that it will not only benefit Jinja and Njeru (Buikwe), but Uganda at large.
Tourism has in recent years overtaken coffee to become Uganda’s leading foreign exchange earner.
Uganda recorded a 59% increase in international visitor arrivals to 814,508 in 2022 signaling a recovering tourism sector from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The East African country earned Shs2.7 trillion, the Ministry of Tourism Wildlife and Antiquities, said on March 29, 2023.
The largest item of expenditure for inbound visitors in 2022, continued to be accommodation, food and beverage, passenger transport and shopping with a combined share of 68.8% in 2022.
International tourists stayed an average of 7.6 nights in the country resulting in a total of 6.5 million bed nights. Staying with friends and relatives continues to be the largest accommodation type (33.5%) due to Uganda being a major visiting friends and relatives (VFR) market. International visitors spent 10 times more per day than domestic visitors according to the report.
What a joke! He benchmarked a number of tourist attractions in Moscow. Egypt, Germany…. and forgot to pay attention to the most important of them all! He forgot that this place has it’s own unique history which is priceless!!! He’s proposing turning it into a monstrosity by proposing the building of anything he can imagine and copycat ideas without any regard to the historical value of the place itself. A kid’s park, museum, aquariums, restaurants… where did this muppet come from? please save the source of the nile from these crazies before it is too late!!
An international tourist destination must cater for the expectations and aspirations of all potentials tourists globally. Having attractions for foreign tourist does not necessarily mean that attractions for local tourists should be forgotten. The unique history of the Source of the Nile, that has largely been elaborated in the Nile Civilization Infrastructure in the Master Plan (that I am sure the commenter has not seen) responds clearly to his fears. What is unique for the local population may not necessary be unique to visitors and yet the the source of the Nile must have attractions that cultivate repetitive visits especially for local tourists as well. The Covid pandemic that gave birth to a number of Standard Operating Procedures including restrictions on international travels meant that tourism for countries was only sustained by the local population.
We pray that it really works. God bless Uganda and the economy at large. Once actualized, of course with the understanding of the local stakeholders, this will be a very big boost towards the tourism industry of Uganda.
Thanks Dr Wambaka Kosea for the innovation
Wanyala nnabbi