The Ugandan government unveiled a new programme to repair the badly damaged roads in Kampala city within a period of three months. Many roads in the city are full of potholes, and have blocked drains that need desilting.
p>The Ugandan government unveiled a new programme to repair the badly damaged roads in Kampala city within a period of three months. Many roads in the city are full of potholes, and have blocked drains that need desilting.
Speaking to journalists at the Uganda Media Centre, the minister of Local Government Adolf Mwesige said that “there is no doubt that for sometime now the road infrastructure in Kampala has been a subject of concern to all of us and especially those who live in and around the city and use the roads daily.”
He added that the government for the last three years or so had been extending funding to Kampala City Council (KCC) to a tune of Ug shs 15 bn shillings annually to improve the road infrastructure but unfortunately the impact had not been very visible and the problem of bad roads had persisted.
The minister announced that the Local Government Act was amended to enable the City Divisions access government t grants, including road funds directly. “The Divisions now will get funds directly from the Uganda Road Fund (URF) for road maintenance and should be able to make their workplans and execute them without referring to KCC”.
He added that “the government procured and equipped KCC with road equipment and this should enable the City Council to attend to urgent road repairs without any hindrance whatsoever. Some of the equipment has been allocated to the City Divisions”.
Mwesige said “as a long term solution, with the passing of Kampala Capital Bill by parliament recently, government shall be responsible for the construction and maintenance of all the roads in Kampala. This will be as soon as the law becomes effective”.
A total number of 21 roads will be repaired at a cost of Ug shs 674.8mn shillings under the 100 days programme. The work will entail mainly spot reconstruction and potholes .
The upgrading of seven roads from Bitumen to Tarmac will cost Ug shs 10,996,523,929 bn shillings.
The Uganda National Road Authority in agreement with KCC, will reconstruction of Spring Road at a cost of Ugshs 4 bn shillings.
By Moses Kalisa Seruwagi
