The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has accused the government of neglecting the tourism sector, arguing that inadequate funding and poor infrastructure are undermining one of Uganda’s major sources of foreign exchange and employment.
Speaking during the FDC media briefing on Monday, the party’s Deputy Secretary for Publicity, Publication and Documentation, Mulindwa Walid Lubega, said the government’s World Tourism Day celebrations could not conceal what he described as persistent failures in the sector. “Fanfare cannot hide the truth: this government has failed the tourism sector,” Lubega said.
He noted that tourism contributes about nine percent of Uganda’s Gross Domestic Product and remains one of the country’s major foreign exchange earners and employers of young people. However, Lubega said the sector received only 430 billion shillings in direct funding during the 2025/26 financial year, out of a national budget of more than 72 trillion shillings. “Less than one percent of the budget for a sector that brings in nine percent of our GDP,” he said.
Lubega also criticised government for failing to fully release funds planned for the tourism sector, saying the situation had persisted for several years. “Government’s own tourism sector performance reports show years where planned funding under the National Development Plan III was never released in full,” he said.
He cited one year in which only 31 percent of the planned expenditure was appropriated, questioning the government’s commitment to tourism despite repeatedly describing the sector as a priority. The FDC also raised concern about the state of infrastructure serving Uganda’s tourist attractions, particularly roads leading to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
“The road network serving our key tourism areas is in a poor state,” Lubega said, adding that access roads to Bwindi, home to Uganda’s mountain gorillas, remain in deplorable condition. “Visitors paying thousands of dollars to see the gorillas face long, punishing journeys on roads the government has repeatedly promised to upgrade in its manifestos, but has never prioritised,” he said.
Lubega further argued that Uganda’s tourism potential was being undermined by negative international publicity, including concerns over security and the country’s handling of the 2026 Ebola outbreak. “These are the stories the world hears about Uganda ahead of World Tourism Day: an underfunded sector, broken roads to our greatest attractions, abductions, and a health response that left us under travel restrictions long after the outbreak ended,” he said.
According to Lubega, government needs to move beyond promotional activities and make tourism a central part of its economic strategy. “Tourism can work for Uganda, but only if government stops treating it as a photo opportunity and starts treating it as an economic priority,” he said. The FDC has called for increased funding to the sector, rehabilitation of roads leading to major tourist attractions, and measures to improve Uganda’s international image.
Lubega said the party intends to make tourism a central pillar of its development agenda, arguing that a well-funded, well-managed and well-marketed sector could transform local economies, create jobs and contribute to national development. The direct quotes above are drawn from Lubega’s September 28 FDC media briefing, while the surrounding narration is structured as a news report-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
