Traffic to Katuna border diverted to Mirama hills
What you need to know:
- Mr Nelson Nshangabasheija, the Mayor for Katuna Town Council, and other local leaders have been supervising the preparations, which included painting buildings, garbage collection and clearing drainage channels.
The committee planning the meeting between President Museveni and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame has temporarily suspended vehicles from using Katuna/Gatuna border post until today’s talks are finished.
Mr Darius Nandinda, the Kabale Resident District Commissioner, yesterday said during a meeting with the Minister for Works and Transport, Gen Katumba Wamala, on Tuesday they also agreed that the road users be informed to use borders at Mirama hills in Ntungamo or Cyanika in Kisoro District, respectively.
“We all agreed that the passenger vehicles and private cars entering Rwanda from Uganda beginning on Wednesday evening should use the Ugandan borders at Mirima hills and Cyanika to avoid interrupting the ongoing preparations of the heads of state meeting,” Mr Nandinda said.
The heads of state meeting is scheduled to take place in the no-man’s land between Uganda and Rwanda. Mr Nandinda said the Uganda National Roads Authority engineers that were grading the no-man’s land have already handed over the venue to the security team.
On Saturday, Mr David Bahati, the State Minister of Finance for Planning, visited Katuna border post to inspect the preparations.
Mr Nelson Nshangabasheija, the Mayor for Katuna Town Council, and other local leaders have been supervising the preparations, which included painting buildings, garbage collection and clearing drainage channels.
“We are optimistic that the heads of state meeting may result in the re-opening of the Gatuna border for Ugandan goods and allowing Rwandans to enter into Uganda,” Mr Nshangabasheija said.
“We have mobilised the residents of Katuna Town Council to clean the area. We pray to God for a new year gift by re-opening the border,” he added. Rwanda closed its border with Uganda in February last year following tensions between the two countries.
