Demolitions have officially started across Uganda to clear the way for a major $1.2 billion Standard Gauge Railway2026 (SGR) upgrade. Heavy machinery, protected by the police and military, is flattening thousands of homes, shops, and kiosks built within the 10-meter railway buffer zones.
This cleanup follows an executive order from President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni during a September 30, 2026 Cabinet meeting, with the Uganda Railways Corporation (URC) setting October 12th, 2026 as the final enforcement date.
International funders backing the $1.2 billion project gave government a strict condition no money will be released until the entire railway route is completely clear.
The URC Senior Public Relations Officer, John Ssengendo explained that clearing the land is necessary to lower transport costs, move cargo off damaged roads, and prevent train accidents.
However, the current crisis is the result of over 20 years of government silence and corruption. The railway land sat empty for decades, and people assumed it was abandoned.
According to Fred Byamukama, the Minister of State for Works and Transport, a corrupt land network inside District Land Boards and the Ministry of Lands took advantage of this.
“They secretly carved up URC land, printed official land titles, and sold them to unsuspecting families and developers. Believing their papers were legal, citizens spent their life savings building permanent homes and multi-story concrete buildings, which are now being destroyed,” Byamukama noted.
Byamukama confirmed that the government will not pay any compensation or offer resettlement packages to those affected. The state maintained that any land title printed over protected public infrastructure is automatically illegal, null, and void.
The destruction is currently taking place across three main national routes including Eastern Corridor (Kampala–Malaba), where crews are tearing down commercial and residential areas in Kireka, Namboole, Namanve, Mukono, Jinja City, and Tororo.
In Western Link (Kampala–Kasese), clearances are cutting through workshops and properties in Ndeeba, Nateete, Kyengera, and Bujuuko.
In Northern Reserve Loop, mass evictions are securing future transit paths around Gulu, Masindi, and Arua.
