Overview:
The BKK project (MV BKK 1 & 2) was originally conceived in 2017 with an initial promise to transform Lake Kyoga’s transport landscape. However, the path to Friday’s ceremony at the Bukungu Landing Site has been anything but smooth.
President Yoweri Museveni is scheduled to commission the Bukungu-Kagwara-Kaberamaido (BKK) ferries this Friday, February 20, 2026. While the event marks a milestone for regional transport, it also brings into sharp focus a nearly decade-long journey marred by financial constraints, contractor terminations, and local grievances.
The BKK project (MV BKK 1 & 2) was originally conceived in 2017 with an initial promise to transform Lake Kyoga’s transport landscape. However, the path to Friday’s ceremony at the Bukungu Landing Site has been anything but smooth. The project missed several critical deadlines—including 2019 and 2021—leaving residents waiting for years as costs swelled to approximately UGX 41 billion.
Despite the festive atmosphere expected at the commissioning, several underlying issues remain part of the project’s legacy. The project suffered a major blow following the termination of the original contractor, Terrain Services, over alleged unpaid dues. Reports indicate the company abandoned the sites with work still incomplete: Bukungu at 85%, Kagwara at 75%, and Akampala at a mere 60%. Akampala delays were also caused by contentions to shift from Okile, the initial proposed docking site for the ferry in Kaberamaido, which sparked local disputes.
The State Minister for Transport, Musa Ecweru, says that “clearing” is still ongoing at the Akampala site, with a race against time to ensure the facility is functional by Friday’s deadline. These last-minute efforts follow years of stagnation that officials previously blamed on rising water levels and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The two vessels are designed to carry over 600 passengers and 35+ vehicles per trip, potentially reducing travel time from more than eight hours by road to nearly two hours by water. This connectivity links Buyende, Kaberamaido, and Serere across eight districts, providing an alternative to the 50,000 UGX bus fare currently paid by those traveling to Kampala.
Victor Ekesu, the LCV Chairman of Kaberamaido, says the planned commissioning of the BKK ferries will ease transport and boost business in the region. “It will be the realization of a long dream that started in 1993. We are likely to see heightened traffic in Kaberamido since travel to Kampala will be cut short,” he said. Ekesu says that people in Kaberamaido spend almost a whole day travelling to Kampala by bus at a minimum transport fare of 50,000 shillings.
For Charles Ojuku, a politician and businessman in Ochero, the commissioning of the BKK ferry will boast cattle trade since Kaberamaido is one of the cattle corridors in Uganda. “It is good news for us, and these ferries will ease movement. We have been travelling with cattle on trucks to Kampala for long hours but we hope this will now be reduced,” he said.
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