Why Hoima
The capital of Bunyoro is changing fast
Hoima is the main city of the Bunyoro-Kitara kingdom and home to the palace of the Omukama. In the next few years it gains an international airport, Uganda's first oil production and a new national stadium. The Foundation's land sits on its southeastern edge, near the road to Kampala.
In numbers
Six facts, with their sources
Checked on 31 October 2026. Every figure links to where it comes from.
143,304people in Hoima City
Up from 100,099 in 2014. Hoima District, around the city, has 257,544 more.
Source: UBOS, National Population and Housing Census 2024, Bunyoro sub-region profiles, June 2025
Jan 2027Kabalega airport opens
The first passenger aircraft landed in September 2026. Full commercial operations are scheduled for January 2027, on a 3.5 km runway in Kabaale.
Source: ATTA, Kabalega International Airport receives first passenger aircraft, 1 October 2026
20,000seats at Hoima City Stadium
Built for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. It hosted its first international match on 29 September 2026.
Source: Nile Post via AllAfrica, Hoima City Stadium hosts Uganda v Libya, 30 September 2026
1.65 bnbarrels of recoverable oil
Out of about 6.65 billion barrels in place in the Albertine Graben. First oil from Kingfisher is expected by the end of 2026, with exports in 2027.
Source: UBC, Petroleum Authority of Uganda revises reserves, 20 November 2025
267beds at the regional referral hospital
Hoima Regional Referral Hospital serves about 3.5 million people across Bunyoro.
Source: Daily Monitor, Hoima referral hospital gets new intensive care unit, 7 January 2025
17,000Ugandans working directly in oil
Across the country, 89% of the oil sector's direct workforce. The Tilenga project alone has employed more than 10,500 Ugandans since 2021.
Source: The Independent, Historic national content gains set stage for production boom, 9 December 2025
Roads, rooms and refining
- The Kampala to Hoima road is being rebuilt. The 145 km Busunju to Hoima section was 40% complete in October 2026.Daily Monitor, Kampala to Hoima highway works 40% complete, 14 October 2026
- Hotels in Hoima are expanding ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations. Kabalega Resort is growing from 102 to 259 rooms.Daily Monitor, Hotel investors in Hoima and Masindi prepare for 2027 AFCON, 2026
- A US$4 billion, 60,000 barrel a day oil refinery is being developed at Kabaale Industrial Park. The government hopes to commission it within about two to four years.S&P Global, Interview with Uganda's new energy minister, 27 October 2026
Heritage and nature nearby
- The palace of the Omukama of Bunyoro-Kitara
- The Mparo Tombs of Omukama Kabalega
- Katasiha Fort, 2 km from town on the Butiaba road
- Lake Albert, about 20 miles away
- Murchison Falls National Park, under three hours by road
What this means for New Kikwite Town
A growing city needs homes, schools, care, places to stay and food that is processed close to where it is grown. Most of that has to be built by someone, and the Foundation's land is large enough, and close enough to town, to hold it in one planned place.
Growth also brings risks: land pressure, rising prices, and jobs that skip local people. Planning the whole town at once, with farmers, schools and training at its centre, is how the family intends to make sure the people of Hoima share in it.