OPEN LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF OF DEFENCE FORCES OF UGANDA

By HICGI News Agency at 1247 EAT on Friday 21 August 2026

Instead of Relocating the City, Invest in a National Railway Network to Decongest Kampala and Promote Balanced Development

The debate over relocating Uganda’s capital from Kampala to Nakasongola has resurfaced, driven by concerns over congestion, the rising cost of living, overstretched infrastructure and the need for a more efficiently planned administrative centre.

While the objective of decongesting Kampala is widely supported, relocating the capital could simply transfer the same challenges to a new location at enormous public cost.

Dr. Rumanzi Benita Bushari argues that Uganda should instead prioritise investment in a national railway network to ease pressure on Kampala while promoting balanced economic development across the country.

There is a more transformative alternative: investing in a modern, nationwide standard-gauge railway network centred on Kampala and connecting all regions of Uganda.

1. The Problem Is Not Kampala — It Is Connectivity

People do not converge on Kampala because they enjoy traffic jams. They come because the capital currently offers the greatest concentration of jobs, universities, hospitals, markets and government services that are relatively accessible.

When a farmer from Koboko, a trader from Kisoro or a graduate from Kotido has to travel to Kampala to access opportunities and essential services, the city will continue to face pressure.

Relocating government offices to Nakasongola would not address the underlying problem. Instead, it could simply shift the bottleneck about 140 kilometres north.

2. The Solution: A Kampala-Centred National Railway Spine

Uganda needs an integrated railway system that makes major cities and regional centres more accessible, allowing them to function as economic hubs rather than satellite locations dependent on Kampala.

The proposed system would be built around a central hub in Kampala, with railway lines extending to major regions across the country.

Proposed National Railway Spine

The proposed network would adopt a hub-and-spoke model aimed at decentralising economic activity, improving connectivity and promoting more balanced national development.

Uganda National Railway Network: Kampala Union Station with Interconnecting Rings

Uganda should develop a national railway network centred around a modern Kampala Union Station, with interconnected railway corridors linking major cities and regions across the country.

With high-speed passenger and freight trains operating regularly, journeys that currently take up to 10 hours by road could potentially be reduced to three or four hours by rail, depending on the route and service.

3. Why Railways Could Develop Uganda Faster Than Relocating the Capital

a) Decongestion Through Distribution

When a manufacturer in Mbarara can transport goods to Kampala within two hours and to Malaba within five hours, there is less incentive to relocate the factory to Kampala. Improved connectivity can encourage jobs, businesses and industries to develop along railway corridors.

b) Lower Cost of Living

Efficient rail freight can reduce transportation costs, potentially lowering the price of goods moving between production centres and major markets. Food from Kabale, milk from Mbarara and cement from Tororo, for example, could reach Kampala more efficiently, while goods produced in Kampala could be transported more affordably to other parts of the country.

Improved passenger rail services could also make it easier for people to live outside Kampala while accessing employment opportunities in the capital.

c) Balanced Regional Development

Railway stations can become catalysts for economic activity, encouraging the growth of hotels, schools, hospitals, markets and other businesses around major stations and connecting towns such as Hoima, Lira and Kabale.

Such development would help distribute economic opportunities more evenly rather than concentrating them in Kampala.

d) Cost-Effectiveness

The cost of establishing a new capital city—including roads, water systems, electricity, housing and government buildings—could run into billions of dollars.

Redirecting a significant portion of such investment towards a national railway network would create long-term transport infrastructure serving the wider population, rather than primarily supporting a new administrative centre.

4. Global Precedent

Several countries have relocated their capitals in attempts to ease pressure on major cities. Nigeria moved its capital from Lagos to Abuja, while Tanzania has been developing Dodoma as its political capital. However, the relocation of a political capital does not necessarily result in the immediate transfer of economic activity from the country’s largest commercial centres.

Other countries have invested heavily in railway infrastructure to improve connectivity and support economic development. Examples include Ethiopia’s Addis Ababa–Djibouti railway, Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), China’s extensive national railway network and South Africa’s Gautrain system.

These examples demonstrate how strategic transport infrastructure can strengthen links between cities, facilitate trade and support regional economic activity.

5. Linking Uganda’s Railway to the East African Federation

Uganda’s railway development should also be planned with regional integration in mind, creating connections that can eventually link the country more efficiently to neighbouring East African states and strengthen regional trade and movement.

Uganda’s proposed national railway network, with Kampala Union Station as its central hub, could serve not only as a domestic solution to congestion but also as a strategic link to a more integrated East African Federation.

By effectively connecting Uganda’s railway system to regional networks, the country could integrate more closely with the East African Community (EAC) railway master plan, linking major cities such as Nairobi, Kigali, Bujumbura and Goma.

The proposed network could support a “One Market, One Train” vision, in which goods and people move more efficiently across the region. For example, agricultural produce from northern Uganda could reach regional and international markets more efficiently, while improved rail links could strengthen trade between Kampala, Mombasa, Kigali and other major commercial centres.

Labour and Skills Mobility

An integrated regional railway network could also improve the movement of workers and professionals across East Africa. Better connections would make it easier for graduates, doctors, engineers and other skilled professionals to access employment and professional opportunities across borders.

Political Integration Backed by Infrastructure

The East African Federation cannot be built on political agreements alone. Physical infrastructure is essential to strengthening regional integration.

“Steel rails, not speeches, will unite our people,” the proposal argues.

Under this vision, Kampala would become a major railway hub not only for Uganda but also for the wider East African region.

Instead of moving Uganda’s capital to Nakasongola, the proposal calls for positioning Uganda at the centre of East Africa through strategic investment in railway infrastructure.

Uganda Needs Connections, Not a New Capital

Uganda does not necessarily need a new capital. It needs stronger connections.

The vision of a less congested and more liveable Kampala can be achieved not by abandoning the city, but by making the rest of Uganda more accessible to the opportunities, services and markets currently concentrated in the capital.

The proposal calls for the construction of railway corridors connecting different parts of the country through Kampala, rather than simply relocating government offices.

“Every Ugandan should feel that opportunity is one train ride away,” the proposal states.

Such a network, it argues, would help Uganda pursue faster, more balanced and sustainable development while ensuring that no region is left behind.

“The future of Uganda is not in moving the capital. The future of Uganda is in connecting the nation.”

Dr. Rumanzi Benita Bushari, a specialist in population dynamics and advocate for equitable national development, says relocating the capital would be an expensive distraction from the country’s broader infrastructure needs.

From the hills of Rukiga to the plains of Karamoja, she argues, Uganda’s development priorities should focus on creating connections that allow all citizens to access economic opportunities and essential services.

For God and My Country

Dr. Rumanzi Benita Bushari
Director, Africa Population Institute
Former Parliamentary Candidate for Rukiga County Constituency (2026–2031)

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