Locals ask for better roads ahead of Independence fete

As Sironko District prepares to host this year’s 57th Independence Day celebrations next week, residents have tasked government to address the poor road network in Bugisu Sub-region. President Museveni is expected to preside over the celebrations.
Locals say the poor roads have deterred economic growth of the sub-region despite being a food basket.

“If our leaders want to be re-elected, they should remind the President about the unfulfilled pledges, especially rehabilitation of impassable roads, which have kept us in poverty,” Mr Stephen Madanda, the Bumunyasi Village chairperson in Zesui Sub-county, said.
Some of the poor roads include Namagumba-Nalugugu, which has been earmarked for tarmacking several times in the National Budget, and Namugumba-Butesa road.

Others are Buwere–Zesui, Dolo-Maga, Bugusege-Busedani, Bumilisha- Busilima and Busilima Bugizaza.
Ms Mary Nandugu, a trader from Butandiga Village in Butandiga Sub-county, said they incur losses to transport their produce to the market, especially during rain season.
“We are the most affected because we live on the hill top, and accessing the markets, mostly found in the lower part, is tiresome,” she said.

Mr Sam Namugongo, the Bukyabo Sub-county, chairperson, said some of the farmers’ produce perishes before reaching the market.
“This is because they spent days, especially during a rain season, on the road,” he said.
Recently, traders and residents in Bulambuli and Mbale districts organised separate protests over the poor state of Buyaga–Buluganya and Bubyangu roads, respectively.
Residents accused government officials of being corrupt and diverting road funds.
However, district leaders say they receive little funding and also lack road equipment such as bulldozers, excavators, among others, to renovate the roads.

Mr Hebert Mulekwa, the district chairperson, said some roads have already been budgeted for in the current financial year.
Mr Sam Wambaka, an educationist, said government has not been appreciative to the electorate.
“We have continued to grapple with poor infrastructural network, lack of secondary schools, poor healthcare, among others,” Mr Wambaka, said.
“The residents changed the voting patterns in 2016 and elected only NRM leaders in different positions but government has not yet rewarded them,” he added.

The only constituency represented by the Opposition is Bududari West, where Mr Nathan Nandala Mafabi is the MP.
Mr Wambaka said government should have elevated Sironko Town Council into a municipality to improve service delivery.
“They instead elevated Kumi, Kapchorwa, Bugiri into municipalities and left out Sironko yet we were in the same group. This was unfair,” he said.
Mr Mahmound Masaba, the Mbale District NRM chairperson, said government has improved the road network in the region, citing the onging construction of Mbale- Lwakhahka Road.

Proposal
Mr Vincent Woboya, the Budadiri East MP, called for increased road funding, especially for Bugisu. “We are from a high terrain region and rains usually wash away murram, so the only viable solution is for government is to increase funding so that we can apply low-cost sealing on our roads,” he said.

Low cost sealing is an innovative technology aimed at improving rural accessibility and reducing gravel loss.
The technology involves sealing low volume roads by utilising locally available resources. Mr Woboya, however, added that the celebrations will market tourism potential in the Mt Elgon region, including the historical caves, waterfalls, birding, nature walks, trans-border hiking, which have remained unexploited.

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