KAPEEKA.
Chinese investors at Namunkekera Industrial Park in Kapeeka Town Council ,Nakaseke District are counting loses after a devastating fire destroyed customs facility destroying equipment and documentations .
The 6pm Saturday blaze affected a bond facility leaving property worth millions of shillings in flames .
Items destroyed in the fire included about 120 electronic cargo tracking seals, 100 metallic seals, 12 bond registers, an office tablet, a stamp, files office, customs documents, and servers, all of which are critical to the site’s customs and cargo tracking operations.
According to Assistant Superintendent of Police Sam Twiineamazima, spokesperson for the Savannah Region Police, the cause of the fire is still under investigation, though authorities suspect unstable electricity supply earlier in the day may have triggered the incident.
“The incident was promptly registered, and officers visited the scene for fact-finding and to obtain statements from witnesses,” Twiineamazima said in a statement.
The damage is expected to disrupt import-export processes at the facility, which serves as a central node in Uganda’s trade and logistics chain.
Police also revealed significant emergency response gaps. “No fire extinguisher vehicle was available within the entire industrial park at the time of the outbreak,” Twiineamazima noted, adding that responders had to rely on a water tanker borrowed from a nearby road construction site.
The incident sparked concern over safety protocols and disaster preparedness at Namunkekera, which hosts more than 30 operational factories across industries such as agro-processing, ceramics, textiles, food processing, and electrical appliances.
Established in 2015 through a partnership between Uganda and China, the industrial park has attracted substantial investment, including Shs319 billion allocated in 2023 for infrastructure upgrades.
Notable companies operating within the park include Goodwill (U) Ceramic Company, Ho and Mu Food Factory Technology, Nana Shoes Factory, and Latex Factory, among others.
The site remains under investigation as authorities conduct scene analysis and structural review. Police have pledged a thorough inquiry to establish the cause of the fire and prevent similar incidents in the future.