Bushenyi District Council has unanimously approved the allocation of 65 acres of land to pave the way for the establishment of a Presidential Industrial Hub aimed at equipping young people with vocational skills and tackling unemployment in the region.
The decision was reached during an emergency council sitting on Friday, where councillors endorsed a motion to allocate the land at Buyanja in Kyeizooba Sub-County for construction of the industrial hub.
The motion was presented by Edward Mpeirwe Mpabwa, the Vice Chairperson of Bushenyi District and councillor representing Kyamuhunga Town Council. It was seconded by Anthony Asingwiire Katwarana, councillor representing Kakamba Sub-County, alongside Ashaba Patience, the female councillor representing Kyabugimbi Sub-County, and Grace Murezi, the district representative for female older persons.
Mpeirwe said the facility will form part of President Yoweri Museveni’s initiative to establish regional industrial skilling hubs, with a focus on giving young people practical skills that can improve their employability and create opportunities for self-employment.
The hub is expected to offer training in a range of vocational trades, including electrical installation, hairdressing and cosmetology, bakery and confectionery, shoemaking, building construction and bricklaying, and plumbing, among others.
Beyond vocational training, Mpeirwe said the facility will also promote patriotism and include a demonstration farm based on the four-acre model, exposing trainees and the wider community to practical agricultural production. He said the training will be provided free of charge and that successful trainees will receive certificates recognised internationally.
Mpeirwe also told council that the process of securing a land title for the proposed site had already commenced. He presented a draft copy of the title documentation to council as part of the process of formalising the land allocation.
District Speaker Silagi Banyanga welcomed the motion, saying the proposed hub should not be viewed as a facility that will benefit Bushenyi District alone. He noted that the industrial hub is expected to serve young people from the wider Greater Bushenyi area, making proper documentation and protection of the land critical to safeguarding the project for current and future generations.
The allocation follows a request by district stakeholders to President Museveni during his 2026 presidential campaign to establish an industrial skilling hub in Bushenyi. Museveni subsequently pledged to establish three additional industrial hubs in Kalangala, Ntungamo and Bushenyi.
David Kakama, the district councillor representing Bumabire Sub-County, described the decision as urgent, saying Bushenyi risked losing the opportunity if it delayed securing land, given that other districts were also prepared to offer land for the project.
Anthony Asingwiire Katwarana, the councillor representing Kakamba Sub-County, said the leadership of Kyeizooba Sub-County had already welcomed the proposal, leaving no reason for the district to delay or oppose the allocation.
The new facility is expected to ease the burden on young people from Greater Bushenyi who currently depend on the Ankole Zonal Industrial Skilling Hub in Rushozi Ward, Rubaya Sub-County, in neighbouring Mbarara District.
Once established, the Bushenyi hub is expected to bring vocational training closer to young people in the area while expanding access to practical skills that can support employment, entrepreneurship and household incomes-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
