Formula One: Govt’s Shs47b plan queried

The government’s plan to turn the Source of the Nile into an international tourist destination has been questioned, with two of the most expensive sports floated for construction in Jinja City.

In its Source of the Nile redevelopment master plan, construction of a Shs47 billion Formula One (F1) race track and Shs13 billion equestrian facility have been painted as amenities that will make tourists stay longer in Jinja.

The mega sports utilities are two of several amenities included in the Shs430 billion Source of the Nile redevelopment master plan that has Shs146 billion earmarked for hotels and Shs130 billion for the Kimaka airstrip upgrade.

Others include golf courses at Shs22.8 billion, cable cars at Shs16 billion, a mini zoo at Shs25 billion, and cultural sports at Shs11.6 billion.

“Is that [for your] satire, right?” said Joseph Kabuleta, a former presidential candidate and one of the most revered sports journalists in the country.

“I think it’s a pipe dream, for now,” he added.

Mr Kosea Wambaka, the director of Strategic Friends International (SFI), thinks otherwise. He told Saturday Monitor that it is a 20-year master plan whose implementation will be undertaken gradually, starting at its epicentre—the Source of the Nile.

SFI was on April 23, 2018, contracted by the Tourism ministry to develop the master plan and oversee a resettlement plan for acquisition of 164 acres of land 10km downstream from the Source and 400m wide from both sides of the riverbanks.

The land in the corridor is over 1,800 acres. Wambaka said projects would spread over the 20 years to swallow the space up, excluding existing tourism-enhancing infrastructure like hotels and industries.

Mr Jimmy Kigozi, the principal tourism development officer and project coordinator for the Source of the Nile project, requested to be given time to consult with his team on the matter.

Ugandan taxpayers have recently been reeling under the weight of several grand projects. From a Covid-19 vaccine factory to Lubowa Hospital, eyebrows have been raised. F1 and equestrian (ability to ride, drive, steeplechase, or vault with horses) could scale further heights but down the river with its waters.

SFI explained in the master plan that developing the Source of the Nile and its environs will enhance socio-economic benefits of communities and also increase tourist range of activities and services.

“In the absence of state-of-the-art infrastructure and facilities that would provide a diversity of tourism activities to attract and retain visitors, the Source of the Nile will remain under-utilised with little contribution to the economy,” said Wambaka, adding, “Yet it has great potential for geo-political leverage to maximise political and economic benefits, and take advantage of excursionists as well as tourists.”

The F1 circuit is planned to be 6.2km in length, which would make it one of the longest tracks in the world.

Of this year’s 22 tracks, only Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Saudi Arabia (6.1km), Baku City Circuit in Azerbaijan (6km) and the freshly-peeled Las Vegas Strip Street Circuit in Nevada, US (6.1km), are in the range.

The Spa-Francorchamps in Belgian is the longest circuit at 7km.

While not confirming whether Federation of Motorsport Clubs of Uganda (FMU) was consulted in the master plan design, Mr Frank Kaheesi said there is nothing wrong with the government setting up such projects.

“FMU, as the sport’s mother body, sanctions and supervises the running of motorsport activity,” said Mr Kaheesi, the FMU head of communication.

White elephant?
Veteran sports journalist Fredrick Musisi Kiyingi agreed the project was good on paper but hastened to add that it was not enough simply constructing a race track when it is not going to be of use. The former Daily Monitor sports editor also notes that the figures being mentioned do make sense. They are, he added, a drop in the ocean. The Shs47 billion F1 track would appear to be a modest project by modern standards.

Building a track alone costs at least $270 million (Shs1 trillion), according to Raconteur, a business magazine. The Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE, is believed to be the most expensive circuit in history. It sits on a man-made island at a reputed cost of $1 billion (Shs3.7 trillion).

“Constructing an F1 track would cost about $300 million at the very least and then hosting a single race would cost north of $1 billion,” said Bernard Olupot, a Ferrari fan and social media influencer.

“That money could be invested elsewhere. If they are so interested in sports tourism, let them set up a new stadium or a basketball arena or a swimming establishment or a rugby pitch. Going for something that we have never even dreamt of is foolish,” he added.

The River Nile is the longest river in the world, covering a distance of 6,853km from Jinja in to the Mediterranean Sea in Egypt. Its existence has for long been of great importance to the 12 Nile Basin countries. The attraction and exploration of the interior of Africa by Europeans was largely motivated by the search for the Source of the Nile, an obsession that was deeply influenced by the importance of the Nile as a sustaining force in civilisation.

The narratives that have developed from these early motivations continue to influence the arrival of international visitors who consider the Source of the Nile as a compelling experience during their visits to Uganda.

Tourism statistics indicate that Jinja is the second-most popular tourist destination in the country, accounting for 24 percent of all tourists after Kampala (54 percent). 

SFI says such stats present an opportunity to reap more from the Nile. Only last month, the government rolled out a Shs17 billion glass pier construction that is expected to bring life at the Source.

The pier is designed as a glass bridge to connect from the riverbanks to the exact point where eddies believed to be the exact point River Nile gurgles up Lake Victoria.

It will also have thermal restaurants, art villages, and a docking area to accommodate more than 20 modern boats, and other modern artefacts.

While the sports amenities are eye-catching because of their sheer infeasibility even if for a mere vagary, the Shs146 billion hotel planned to straddle the east of Bujagali power plant would certainly make for another grand dream.

The Tourism ministry is also seeking to redevelop Kimaka airfield, which is located just a stone’s throw away from the cable bridge across Amber Court. It has a runway of 1,200m. 

According to the Civil Aviation Authority, Kimaka is a Class 3 general utility airfield limited to the handling of small passenger aircraft serving domestic routes.

Currently, the airfield has minimal activity. It is hardly accessible via the Amber Court Road whose tarmacking the government has promised since 2001.

Mr Wambaka says the airfield would connect Entebbe and Jinja directly by air for tourism once Shs130 billion has been injected into its redevelopment.

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