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To further decongest this busy highway, the government recently held a ground breaking ceremony for the construction of the Mpigi-Kasanje-Nakawuka-Kisubi road as well as the Nakawuka-Nateete road. People travelling to Entebbe from Masaka or any part of southwestern Uganda will not have to drive all the way to Busega and join the Kampala-Entebbe Expressway.
They can use these roads to connect to Entebbe, thereby shortening the distance and cost it currently requires. There is also a ferry service on Lake Victoria connecting Entebbe at Nakiwogo to Buwaya near Mpigi.
Although I described Mpigi town in unflattering terms in the opening paragraph of this article, the area surrounding the town is actually very beautiful dotted with well vegetated pristine hills that seem to kiss the sky. Atop these hills, the areas near Mpigi town provide some of the most breathtaking views of Lake Victoria.
If you are a child or an aviation enthusiast, you may even find watching planes land and take off from Entebbe international airport a fascinating pastime. A few kilometres from Mpigi town is the Mabamba Swamp. If you have never heard of it, you have certainly never found bird watching interesting. If bird watching isn’t your thing, know that many tourists fly in from all over the world to watch the birds at Mabamba.
The Mpanga forest range is not far from Mpigi. There is a crocodile farm and another park where people go and take selfies with lions not far from Mpigi. But decent hotels in Mpigi are as rare as snow in Uganda.
If you have never noticed, Mpigi is the same distance as Entebbe even when using the current Masaka-Mpigi road but because of traffic and congestion and under development, very few people consider Mpigi as a place where they can commute from to Kampala every day.
Because of the Kampala-Entebbe Expressway, Entebbe is now so near Kampala taking people a few minutes to reach their destination. Nobody complains anymore if invited to an event in Entebbe.
Try organizing an event in Mpigi and you will get many excuses. That is not going to be the case though once the network of roads under construction is complete making Mpigi the right destination for your investment. Land including that on hills with spectacular views is still relatively affordable in Mpigi compared to many other parts of greater Kampala.
With the Kampala-Mpigi Expressway and the Mpigi-Kisubi road nexus complete, the time one takes to move from Mpigi to Kampala or Entebbe will be drastically reduced. Living in Mpigi and working in the central business district of Kampala or Entebbe will be as easy as pushing somebody who is squatting.
A Kampala resident going to party on a beach in Mpigi will not be so difficult to try. The areas surrounding Mpigi town are going to cease being hard to reach areas. In fact, Katikkiro Charles Peter Mayiga and his team at the Kingdom of Buganda are already planning a major housing estate in Mayembe Ga Mbogo on the outskirts of Mpigi town. Many other investors are already in the area with similar plans.
Young people looking for affordable land for their first homes should look no further than Mpigi. Older ones could consider Mpigi as a potential area for their retirement. Investors in hospitality and recreation, farming to feed the ever-increasing Kampala population, housing, and satellite cities, Mpigi could be the next big thing.
However, many people may not still be aware of Mpigi’s potential as a destination for investment. District local governments have commercial officers. They are usually poorly facilitated and yet they should be drivers in promoting the opportunities available.
Hopefully, the one of Mpigi could now launch an Invest in Mpigi campaign.
djjuuko@gmail.com
The writer is a communication and visibility consultant