President Yoweri Museveni commissioned Uganda’s first railway concrete sleeper factory on Friday in Kawolo, Lugazi, and Buikwe.
Museveni praised the factory’s owners, Imathia Construction, led by Chairman Julian Garcia Velverde, for helping Uganda achieve part of its vision of building an integrated, independent, and self-sustaining economy.
“If you recall, from the beginning, point number five of the NRM programme that we wrote many years ago, we advised Ugandans and Africans in general to build an integrated, independent, and self-sustaining economy.” This is a part of the problem in Africa today; when you hear about all these endless crises in Africa, it is because we did not get to that point,” President Museveni explained.
“I want to thank the Spanish Group, Imathia, for assisting us, in this case, in implementing a portion of this effort because Uganda requires a railway system, which requires a variety of items such as sleepers and rails.” Now if they are all not made here, what does that mean? It means you will have to buy them elsewhere, and if you do, the cost of transportation alone will be prohibitively expensive,” he added.
President Museveni also stated that the government is in the final stages of developing Uganda’s own steel industry, which will enable the country to begin manufacturing rails, which are also used in the construction of railway lines.
“We also need the rails themselves for the Standard Gauge Railway.” We may not do it right away because the rails require very good steel, but we will work on it because Kabale is developing its steel industry. We will be able to produce the steel required by the railway system not only in Uganda but also in other parts of East Africa.”
Mr. Julian Garcia Velverde, Chairman of Imathia Construction, thanked the President, the Ministry of Works and Transport, and the Board and Management of Uganda Railways Corporation for their wonderful hospitality and support since they decided to invest in Uganda.
“As you saw during your tour of the Plant, Sir, this railway concrete sleeper factory employs 90% locals.” I have no doubt that one day we will be entirely operated by young Ugandan men and women because they have learned how to run this plant,” he said.
“Your Excellency, the investment we have here has the capacity to supply sleepers for all the railroad rehabilitation work that is being done. I wish to appeal to you and the Honourable Minister of Works to consider utilising this new technology in Uganda and replacing the current steel sleepers with these concrete sleepers.”
Mr. Garcia further informed the President that concrete sleepers are the most suitable technology in modern railways for metre gauge and also the SGR railway option that is on the country’s transformational agenda.
“The concrete sleepers increase safety, comfort, and speed, as well as decrease the maintenance cost of the track, and there are fewer vandalism associated costs.”
Mr. Garcia also noted that Imathia was contracted to renovate the Kampala- Mukono line, and he assured the President that they are working within schedule to complete the project.
The factory, whose workforce is over 90 percent Ugandan, has a daily production of 208 concrete sleepers of metre gauge for the refurbishment of Kampala-Namanve-Mukono.