LAVITT — Kirinya, Jinja, Uganda
A 102-hectare mixed-use development corridor on the shores of Lake Victoria — combining serviced industrial land, logistics infrastructure, outsourced services, hospitality, and a Digital Financial Centre gateway. Arifund's flagship real asset venture and cornerstone of the fund's portfolio.
Overview
LAVITT — the Lake Victoria Industrial and Technology Park — is Arifund's flagship real asset development and the cornerstone venture of the fund's portfolio. Situated on approximately 102 hectares of titled land at Kirinya, on the shores of Lake Victoria in Greater Jinja, LAVITT is designed as a phased, mixed-use corridor serving light manufacturing, outsourced services, logistics, hospitality, and digital finance.
The park traces its origins to 2007, when Nathan Igeme Nabeta established the Lake Victoria Information/Communication Technology and Bio-Tech Limited (LAVIT) to develop Uganda's first ICT and biotechnology innovation campus. Over fifteen years the vision has matured into a broader industrial and technology masterplan — one that captures Jinja's strategic position as Uganda's second industrial city, its proximity to Lake Victoria's logistics network, and the rapid digitalisation of East Africa's economy.
LAVITT is structured as a Special Purpose Vehicle within the Arifund holding architecture. Oakstone Capital manages the SPV with full responsibility for site development, investor relations, and ongoing operations. The park's masterplan accommodates multiple sub-ventures — BPO Hub, Digital Financial Centre, golf and hospitality, and industrial leasing — each capitalisable as a stand-alone SPV or operated as a zone within the site.
Development
Phase 1 concentrates on the infrastructure foundation that makes LAVITT investable and tenant-ready: serviceable land, arterial corridors, core utilities, and the first anchor lease agreements.
Enabling corridors
Arterial road access and internal circulation advanced for tentative anchor tenant fit-out. Primary access route from Kirinya road network established.
Utilities programme
Power supply coordination with UMEME underway. Water and wastewater connections phased alongside BPO and hospitality parcel rollout. Generator backup scoped for digital services zones.
Land title secured
Certificate of Title — Plot M 163, Kirinya Island, Jinja District — registered August 2008. ~102 hectares. Held by Lake Victoria Information/Communication Technology and Bio-Tech (LAVIT) Limited.
Anchor tenant origination
Early lease discussions underway with logistics, BPO, and agro-processing operators. Incentive structures being developed for anchor commitments.
Digital Financial Centre gateway
Site zoning and concept design completed for the DFC zone in the northern sector. Phase 2 construction pipeline confirmed.
Location
Jinja sits at a unique intersection of geography, infrastructure, and demand. As Uganda's second industrial city, it commands direct access to regional trade routes, the Lake Victoria cargo network, and the hydropower-rich grid supplied by the Owen Falls and Bujagali dams — historically offering industrial tenants among the most competitive electricity tariffs in East Africa.
Proximity to Owen Falls and Bujagali hydroelectric dams. Reliable grid supply with preferential industrial power tariffs for manufacturing tenants.
Direct access to Lake Victoria's regional cargo corridor. Kampala–Jinja highway and rail connectivity to Mombasa via the Northern Corridor.
Uganda has 239,000 ICT-trained young people and 144,000 English-speaking digital workers. One of East Africa's most cost-competitive labour markets.
National Backbone Infrastructure phase 1 — linking Kampala, Entebbe, Bombo, and Jinja — is operational. High-speed fibre connectivity available to the site.
100+ existing industries in Jinja. Uganda Investment Authority recognises the city as a priority industrial zone. Active manufacturing ecosystem in agro-processing, aluminium, and packaging.
Uganda's COMESA and EAC membership opens a preferential market of over 600 million consumers to LAVITT tenants — duty-free access across the region.
Market context
Three structural forces are converging to make LAVITT's location and asset mix particularly well-timed.
Uganda approved a national BPO Policy in June 2024, launched formally in February 2025. The government targets 150,000 BPO jobs by 2030 — with Jinja earmarked as a key delivery city given its digital backbone and labour pool.
150,000 jobs target · 2030Gold accounted for 42% of Uganda's total export receipts in 2024–2025 — approximately $3.4 billion. New policy prohibits export of unprocessed raw materials, incentivising downstream processing and trading within Uganda.
$3.4B gold exports · 2024Uganda's industrial park programme has accelerated FDI in Jinja and Buikwe. Light manufacturing, agro-processing, and logistics are the fastest-growing FDI segments in Uganda's eastern corridor.
100+ industries in JinjaMasterplan
The LAVITT masterplan accommodates five distinct operational zones. Each is a separately capitalisable SPV within Arifund, sharing site infrastructure but independently governable and financeable.
Serviced land plots for light manufacturing, agro-processing, and logistics operators. Long-term leases with step-rent escalators. Anchor tenant fit-out underway.
Purpose-built outsourced services floorspace — ICT-ready, generator-backed, broadband-connected. Targeting domestic and international BPO operators aligned with Uganda's 2025 BPO Policy.
Uganda's first dedicated digital finance and virtual asset hub. Site zoning and concept design complete. Linked to GoldX tokenisation platform and Arifund's broader fintech strategy.
Leisure and hospitality amenity anchoring the northern masterplan zone. Revenue from memberships, accommodation, and corporate F&B. Creates placemaking for anchor tenant attraction.
Arterial road and Lake Victoria access for freight movement. Enables LAVITT tenants to connect to the regional Lake Victoria cargo network and Northern Corridor rail link to Mombasa port — giving manufacturers in the park access to East African export routes without the congestion of Kampala.
Returns
LAVITT's returns combine multiple complementary streams designed to provide stability through the development cycle and upside as the park reaches operational maturity.
Long-term leases to industrial and services tenants, with contractual escalation clauses linked to Uganda CPI and USD benchmarks.
Recurring charges for road access, utility connections, and shared services. Payable by all tenants irrespective of sector or zone.
Floorspace rentals in the outsourced services centre. Fit-out incentives offered to anchor BPO tenants in return for longer lease commitments.
Golf memberships, hotel occupancy, and corporate food and beverage revenues. Provides a non-industrial income stream that hedges against manufacturing cycle volatility.
Licensing, co-location, and platform access fees from digital finance operators, virtual asset businesses, and fintech companies in the DFC zone.
Security, facilities management, broadband, and utilities resale to site tenants. Margin-positive once fixed infrastructure costs are covered by primary lease income.
Progress
| Milestone | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Land title | Secured | Certificate of Title — Plot M 163, Kirinya (~102 ha). Registered 2008. Held by LAVIT Ltd. |
| Enabling corridors | In progress | Arterial access advanced; tentative anchor tenant fit-out underway. |
| Utilities programme | In progress | Power and water coordinated with phased BPO and hospitality parcel rollout. |
| Anchor tenant origination | In progress | Initial lease discussions with logistics, BPO, and agro-processing operators. |
| Digital Financial Centre | Phase 2 | Site zoning and concept design complete. Construction pipeline confirmed for Phase 2. |
| BPO Hub | In progress | Floorspace design underway. Initial operator discussions active. |
| Golf & hospitality | Phase 2 | Site allocated within masterplan. Development readiness subject to Phase 1 completion. |
| Phase 1 capital raise | Active | Enabling works being financed through Arifund's blended capital structure. Contact manager for details. |