The government entered into a 2-year pre-financing agreement with a Chinese firm; Chongqing International Construction Corporation-CICCO, which has commenced the project works, whose completion will take four years.
Government has committed to spend Shillings
691 billion for the reconstruction of Masaka-Kyotera to Mutukula road.
The 89.5-kilometer
road, which serves as the major trade route linking Uganda and Tanzania is
currently in a sorry state owing to huge potholes that make it unmotorable, which frustrates trade and movement of services between the two countries.
The Prime Minister Robina Nabbanja
commissioned the project works on Wednesday in Kyotera town council, ending the
many years of waiting by the leaders and road users.
The government entered
into a 2-year pre-financing agreement with a Chinese firm; Chongqing
International Construction Corporation-CICCO, which has commenced the
project works, whose completion will take four years.
Nabbanja noted
that the project has been long overdue, saying the government has all along
been looking for funds until later when the cabinet resolved on modalities of
its financing.
She is optimistic
that upon completion, the road will help to improve trade between Uganda and Tanzania,
thereby challenging the Uganda National Roads Authority-UNRA, to closely supervise
the project to ensure delivery of quality works.
Luganda
//Cue in: “oluguudo luno…….
Cue out: ….akasente mu nsawo yo.”//
Besides the main highway
of Masaka-Kyotera to Mutukula, the project also includes major rehabilitation
of Nyendo-Villa Maria road-11 kilometers and paving of an additional 7
kilometers of access roads within Masaka city.
General Edward
Katumba Wamala, the Minster of Works and Transport noted that the roads are
going to be upgraded to first class Bitumen standards. He noted that the project
does not have any provisions for compensation for persons who encroached on the
road reserves, explaining that the contractor is going to operate within the original
dimensions of the road.
Instead according to
Katumba, the contractor is going to construct walkways and install streetlights
in all linear towns located along the road. The Masaka-Kyotera-Mutukula
highway was originally constructed in the 1960s and later rehabilitated in 2001
but its state has been worsening over time, which has resulted in continuous
protests by truck drivers and leaders.
Dr. Abed Bwanika
and John Paul Lukwago, the MPs for Kimanya-Kabonera division and Kyotera county
respectively, observe that the road had become a death trap and has caused several
accidents in the recent past yet it is of great significance to the country in
terms of import and export trade.
Bwanika noted this
is the biggest road project the government is undertaking in the greater Masaka
sub-region adding that as leaders, they are relieved of the pressure that was
being mounted by the communities.
//Cue in: "era tuli basanyufu....Cue out: .....ekitundu kino."//
