Works on stalled Kaya bridge to resume next month

Works on the bridge on River Kaya at the Uganda-South Sudan border are expected to resume in March this year, Mr Bernard Ayimani, the Yumbe District engineer, has said.

The works stalled due to lack of funds. This was a joint initiative by Uganda and South Sudan governments.

“This has been our dream to have this bridge in place. We have now secured funding to complete the bridge,” Mr Ayimani told Daily Monitor on Monday.

The previous Shs1.8b contract had been awarded to Ms Datch Engineering Limited.

“Our estimate for the completion of the bridge as engineers is Shs1.2b,” he said.

“This is the shortest route to South Sudan without encountering any serious challenge on the road. The terrain there is very good,” he added.

Mr Ayimani said if the government of South Sudan works on the road from mortar bridge to Yei, business will boom in the two countries.

Initially, Yumbe District signed an agreement with South Sudan to share the cost of the bridge project (Shs 1.8b) in 2013 but war broke out in South Sudan leaving the project solely on Yumbe but it is not yet clear whether support will be realised from South Sudan.

In a joint meeting last year that comprised leaders from Yumbe and Kupera County in South Sudan, Mr Emmanuel Khemis, the commissioner for Kupera County in Yei River State, said the governments would work together on the project.

“We came here to set a foundation for our future generations. We would address some of the issues and make each other understand that the project Yumbe has undertaken is a national project that will benefit both Uganda and South Sudan,” he said.

Mr Khemis added that they want to use the good relationship between Kupera County and Yumbe District local government as an example for other communities that share a common border.