Entebbe residents threaten to demonstrate over bad road

Entebbe. Residents of Kigungu Village in Division B in Entebbe Municipality, Wakiso District, have threatened to demonstrate against the bad state of Kigungu Road, commonly known as Buku.
The road passes behind Entebbe International Airport. The state of the road has worsened following the onset of the rainy season, which has rendered it impassable.

Motorists manoeuvre through potholes and slipperiness, sometimes causing accidents.
“We had two roads both leading to Kigungu but one was closed due to the ongoing expansion of Entebbe International Airport. We are left with one road which is used by more than 1,000 people. The road has potholes and has no lights,’’ Mr Richard Ssekyondo, the Entebbe deputy mayor, said.

Mr Ssekyondo said in 2017 during the ground breaking of the expansion of the airport, President Museveni proposed that the road be rehabilitated but nothing has been done.
When contacted, the Minister of State for Works, Gen Katumba Wamala, said they do not have a budget for the road in the 2019/20 Financial Year.
“However, I am going to talk to UNRA (Uganda National Roads Authority) for maintenance as we look for the way forward,” Gen Katumba said.
Ms Sophia Nakakawa, a resident, said the road has hindered social and business activities.

“Kigungu has a big landing site but when it rains, no vehicle collects fish. Farmers cannot access markets due to the poor road,’’ Ms Nakakawa said.
Mr Peter Kafeero, a boda-boda cyclist, said: “Every day our boda bodas get mechanical complications because of this road. The road covers only 13km from Kitooro Town but when it rains, it takes one two to three hours to reach Kigungu because it is covered with potholes. It is an embarrassment for a road near a United Nations base and international airport to be in such a state.’’

[email protected]