Lira Residents Challenge Land Plans for Lira International Airport

Plans for Lira international airport face land and compensation disputes, raising questions about acquisition, boundaries and project preparation.

News: Plans for a proposed international airport at Anai in Lira have become entangled in a dispute between the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority and neighbouring landowners. Residents say the expanded airport boundary overlaps privately titled land beyond the area historically reserved for aviation use. Sixty-eight residents have taken the matter to court, with mediation currently underway.

Lira's Anai could have an international airport soon

Context: Land at Anai was originally reserved for an airport in the 1960s, but residents say the present proposal requires a much larger footprint. Some affected owners argue that the subsequent boundary expansion was insufficiently consultative and that compensation has not been resolved. The High Court directed the parties to pursue mediation, with progress due to be reported in September.

Stakeholder Implications: The Lira international airport may have substantial economic value for Lango and Northern Uganda, but land acquisition is already emerging as a critical path issue. For major greenfield infrastructure, establishing boundaries, ownership, valuation and compensation early is not ancillary to project preparation: it is a key part of project preparation.