Government to embark on road construction in oil-rich districts

Kampala/Hoima

The Ministry of Works and Transport has announced plans to upgrade and construct roads in the Albertine Graben before the
commercial oil production begins in 2015.

The plan includes upgrading and revamping all major roads that lead in and out of the oil rich districts of Masindi,
Bundibugyo, Ntoroko and Hoima, where plans for the construction of an oil refinery complex are in the offing.

Ms Susan Kataike, the public relations officer of the ministry, said out of the Shs1 trillion that the government allocated
to the ministry this financial year, about Shs500 billion was for constructing roads to ease the ongoing oil explorations.
She said the ministry would this year construct eight kilometres of roads in the area and the rest of the work would be
implemented by the Uganda National Roads Authority within the next two to three years.

Ms Kataike said although face-lifting roads in the Albertine Graben had always been listed as priority in the previous
financial years, no money had been disbursed to the ministry, which put most of the major works on halt.

The road plan comes amidst recent grumbling by oil firms (Tulllow, CNOOC and Total) over the sorry state of infrastructures
in the oil-rich region which they said is affecting their operations. Major roads to tarmacked include; Hoima to Masindi,
Masindi to Kigumba, Fort Portal to Bundibugyo, and smaller roads.

mssebuyira@ug.nationmedia.com