On Saturday, Vice President Jessica Alupo observed continuing road and bridge building in the Katakwi district.
Alupo, who is also the Katakwi District Woman Member of Parliament, examined the following bridges: Okuda-Aumoi-Ongongoja, Milimil-Adepar-Acinga-Kapelebyong, Usuk Abwokodia-Ajelerk Acowa, and Katakwi-Aliakamer.
Musa Ecweru, the state minister for works, engineers from the same ministry, and district technical officials accompanied the vice president.
When the bridges are finished, according to Alupo, they will improve trade and increase the delivery of social services in the localities.
“Trade and access to social services like health and education will be promoted in line with the Government’s goal of improving the livelihood of its citizens,” Alupo stated.
According to her, many of these routes have turned into death traps, taking the lives of numerous pedestrians who tumble into rushing rivers during wet seasons because there aren’t any bridges to pass across swamps.
“Lack of swamp crossing points has always prevented heavy trucks, motorcycles, and pedestrians carrying goods needed by communities for business from using the roads, affecting trade between communities in neighboring districts such as Amuria and Kapelabyong,” Alupo added.
The Vice-President added that numerous district programs for the upkeep and building of feeder roads have been halted as a result of the decision to withhold a portion of the Road Fund. She promised to talk to the president and cabinet about the matter.
An Act of Parliament created the Road Fund in 2008 to pay for normal and recurring upkeep of local government roadways.
Residents were informed by Alupo that, in accordance with a presidential directive, the government had decided to allocate Sh1 billion to each district and municipality for the upkeep of roads outside the purview of the Uganda National Roads Authority, in addition to the district Road Fund, which should never be reduced or withheld.
She added that the district should receive particular consideration in terms of greater money given the size of Katakwi geographically.
The vice president remarked, “Like Kasese, Tororo, Katakwi is a very big district and should be considered for more funding so that she can open up security roads among others.”
She thanked the ministry team for making the time to evaluate the roads in Katakwi and urged them to do the same throughout the nation.
In order for the people to readily transport their produce to various marketplaces throughout the sub-region, Ecweru told the residents of Katakwi that a critical evaluation of the district’s bridges and roadways reveals the need for quick intervention.
The Vice-President was briefed by Joseph Ecuman, the vice-chairperson of Katakwi LC5, who said that their eagerly anticipated plan to expand the roads is hampered by a lack of finance.
The site visit will allow them to prepare an inspection report that will include designs and estimates that will be submitted to the ministry for decision-making, especially to allocate funds to work on the remaining roads and bridges as seen during the inspection, according to Eng. Patrick Osele, the acting assistant commissioner of bridges and drainages at the works ministry.
