Lonely road, face masks in lockdown

Topher Tumusiime travels on different routes around the country and more regularly on the Kampala-Mbarara route. However, due to Covid-19, his travel schedules changed due to the lockdown that was in place since March and almost no business.

During the lockdown, pickup trucks were allowed to move. In May, Tumusiime got an urgent need to travel to Mbarara from Kampala and had to use his old pickup.

His experience was strange as he was a lone traveller on the highway.
“I travelled to Mbarara after close to four months of not being able to. There was an emergency in the village (Katebe, Kashaari) and I had to be there. I had expected the President to allow cars on the road that week but this was not to be. I had to make do with my old 1200cc pickup truck.

Although the pickup was roadworthy, it had taken years moving only in Kampala. I had to risk it. This was my experience,” he says.
Use of a face mask
Among the measures to curb the spread of Covid-19 was the mandatory use of face masks whenever one is to go to the public but Tumusiime met strange scenes.

“It is mandatory to wear a face mask while in public. Indeed I had been using one but briefly since I was mostly staying at home. My friends advised me to wear the face mask even as I was driving, warning me that otherwise I would be stopped at roadblocks for questioning,” he says, adding, “To avoid being inconvenienced I wore a face mask throughout the journey.”

He faced challenges by wearing a facemask while driving a long journey including suffocating.
“However, the use of a face mask will need a lot of practice and even teaching. At one time I put it off to catch some fresh air only to put it back on inside out. At another point, I caught myself holding it in my mouth as I was opening a drink. What if it had been contaminated by Covid-19!” he exclaims.

His observation along the way was that the preventive measures for Covid-19 were not taken seriously by the people or some people do not even know that there is such a disease.

“As I passed some towns such as Kinoni, most people were crammed in spaces and appeared to live in the past where life was normal. This was the same when I reached Mbarara Central Market where I went to buy some supplies before heading to the village,” he says.

About the market
When he entered Mbarara Central Market with a face mask he looked like a stranger or a medical doctor marching out of a theatre.
“Here, my mask made most people stare at me suspiciously. One group enjoyed a game of playing cards without a bother. Yet Mbarara Hospital where a Covid-19 patient had already been admitted is only about 500 metres away from the market,” he observes.

On normal days most travellers who ply the Kampala-Mbarara route have common stopovers in Masaka to refresh and ease themselves. These include Masaka Total restaurant, Nyendo at the roundabout or at Lukaya for roasted gonja and nyama choma but business was affected by the lockdown due to the decreased number of travellers.

“I am used to stopping at Lukaya. Here, I walk to the merchants to choose the well-cooked gonja. This time it was ghostly. The stalls were empty. No vendors running around, no sellers roasting meat or Gonja.

The market thrives on travellers and since there was a ban on vehicles, the market had to close. If you expect gonja and mchomo along the road from Kampala to Mbarara you might starve. I had to tell my stomach to be patient,” he jokes.

He says he drove on an empty stomach until the Total Masaka joint that was open.
“They were offering takeaway and my stomach was saved from its grumbling.”
The traffic jams
“We used to complain about traffic jam but on some sections of the road between Masaka and Mbarara, mine was the lonely vehicle on the road. I could see no one behind, no one in front and I was not about to meet anyone for several kilometres. I mean no vehicle, no bodaboda, and no bicycle. I occasionally saw a person walking,” he says.
One feels they are on the wrong road. It was scary.
“I kept praying that the pickup does not betray me at such a time and sure God heard my prayers,” he narrates.
When he drove past Lyantonde town, he reached Ahakageti, a popular roadside trading centre overlooking Lake Mburo National Park. This time the zebras had moved closer to the road and grazed with calves on the neighbouring farms.

“There was a footpath and people almost walked side by side with the zebras. It appeared they had come to check why people no longer visit them,” he says.

The park has a variety of animals such as zebra, hippopotamus, impala, warthog, common eland, African buffalo, jackal, African leopard, and more than 300 hundred bird species
“I am sure the lockdown will one day end but it will leave memorable experiences among many especially the travellers,” Tumusiime says.

Quick notes
Key points for drivers
Public and private vehicles were allowed back on the raod as long as the car occupants wore face masks.

Public transport systems of buses, mini-buses, taxis, to carry passengers at half the capacity