Metallic ladders link locals to services

Transport. Residents in the hilly areas of Sironko District use metallic ladders to access social services. PHOTO BY VINIKHET MANANA

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Benefits. The initiative has eased communication and promoted tourism in Sironko.

The construction of metallic foot ladders in the hilly areas of Sironko District has enabled residents easily access social amenities and market for their agricultural produce.
The ladders have so far been built in Butandiga, Elgon, Bukyabo, Zesui, Masaba and Bugitimwa sub-counties.
“We can now slope down the hill with ease. We carry our harvested produce such as beans, onions, matooke to the market with little difficulty, unlike before,” Ms Mary Nadunga, a resident of Nambago Village in Butandiga, said at the weekend.
Ms Nadunga said the ladders have also helped them access their relative living down the hills in Bukiise and Buteza sub-counties, and Budadiri Town Council, among others.
“Previously, we had been isolated and our children could not be allowed to visit their relatives,” she said.
The first ladder was constructed at Gasawa Hill in Bugitimwa Sub-county in 2017. It was led by residents with funding from Mr Vincent Woboya, the Budadiri East MP, at a cost of more than Shs40m before the Ministry of Works and Transport intervened.
Currently, government is funding the construction of ladders in Sigwa Parish in Butandiga and Bunamina.
Mr Woboya said the development is part of a 10-year programme of sustainable movement for mountain dwellers.
He said the ladders have also eased communication, promoted tourism, reduced maternal mortality rate and boosted education.
He, however, blamed the high school-drop rate in the area to a poor road network.
“Most of the students drop out of school because they lack easy access to secondary schools since most of them are situated in lowlands,” he said.
Mr Woboya appealed to government to improve infrastructure, especially road network in the area.
Mr Sam Namugongo, the Bukyabo Sub-county chairperson, appealed to government to expand the initiative to cover all hilly areas.
Ms Susan Kataike, the Works ministry spokesperson, said government would ensure accessibility in the mountainous areas, adding that the ladders are cheaper and safer.
Government in partnership with Bridges to Prosperity, a US–based NGO, also constructed four suspended bridges in the Bugisu Sub-region to ease accessibility in mountainous areas.