About the Client
Kajjansi Airfield is the second-busiest airfield in Uganda and has been home to MAF Uganda since 1986. It is the only airfield managed by MAF as part of an operational programme. Strategically located between the main international airport at Entebbe and the Ugandan capital, Kampala, Kajjansi Airfield is a 22-hectare site on the shores of Lake Victoria and comprises a 1,100-metre-long murram runway.
Project Challenge
The runway sits in a low-lying area that often floods when it rains, causing ponding. This posed a hazard to aircraft and was also unacceptable under the regulations of the Ugandan Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA).
MMM South Africa’s Involvement
Jurg van Dyk served as Project Manager for the duration of the project, representing MAF International on-site in Uganda. His responsibilities included overall financial management of the project; regular reporting to MAF management and donors; liaison between the design consultants, contractors, and the client; and the administrative management of the project, including chairing progress meetings.
Technical disciplines involved
Civil Engineering · Airfield Engineering · Geotechnical Engineering · Stormwater & Drainage · Earthworks · Pavement & Soil Stabilisation · Construction & Project Management
Key result, learning or implementation outcome
To combat this problem, the entire runway was raised by an average height of 1m — approximately 600mm above the highest previous flood level. Substantial work was done on the site’s drainage system, including a drainage channel constructed along the full length of the runway, with 12 lines of 600mm pipes draining surface water from the channel under the runway to the swamp.
Key elements of the works included:
- Turning circles were added on each side of the runway to accommodate larger aircraft, such as the Beechcraft and DC-3
- A new taxi lane constructed along the full length of the runway, served by 5 taxiways
- Geogrid reinforcement is used along the full length of the runway to address poor soil conditions
- Rockfill up to 3.5m deep was placed in the swamp to support the turning circles before the murram surface could be constructed
- Runway surface stabilisation using EBS (Engineering Base Stabiliser), a Soil Solutions product
Project Location
Kajjansi Airfield, Uganda
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