Lira District chairperson Alex Oremo Alot wants the proposed new airfield set to be constructed in the district be named after former President Apollo Milton Obote.
The said airfield is set to be constructed in Anai parish, Lira Sub-county, Lira District following a decision by CAA to relocate Lira airfield to a new and spacious location.
According to Oremo, Obote’s name would give the airfield an international outlook, and equally attract overseas investors who would often fly into the country and bring in dollars.
In September 2005, CAA banned use of Lira airfield citing safety concerns, and since then plans have been underway to relocate the airfield from its current location between Lira military garrison and Industrial area in Railways Division, to a new location.
However, the project to construct Anai airfield has dragged on for years after people affected by the project refused to vacate the land pending compensation from Civil Aviation Authority.
In 2015, Lira district allocated 15 acres of land in Anai village in Lira Sub County for the construction of a modern airfield but since then, residents are yet to be compensated for the project to take off.
Civil Aviation Authority claims there is limited usage of Lira Airfield pending relocation to the spacious land in Anai village. They say huge stores belonging to companies such as Mukwano group of companies, and Mount Meru limited are located next to the runaway making it unsuitable for air crafts.
Born in Apac district, Milton Obote went to Ibuje Primary School in Lira District, before he moved on to become a prominent politician who ruled Uganda for close to 13 years.