Govt finally gets contractor to work on pothole-riddled Masaka-Kyotera-Mutukula road
Road works machinery which has been assembled to kickstart construction of the potholed Masaka-Kyotera -Mutukula highway. PHOTO/AMBROSE MUSASI
What you need to know:
- Mr Patrick Kintu Kisekulo, the Kyotera District chairperson, said the area legislators have been so supportive in reminding the government to fix the road.
- Mr John Paul Mpalanyi, the Kyotera County MP, told this publication that rehabilitating the road is timely since it is a key transportation artery for East African region.
The long-awaited works on the pothole-riddled Masaka-Kyotera –Mutukula highway are set to kick off after Uganda National Roads Authority (Unra) identified a suitable contractor for the project.
UNRA spokesperson, Mr Allan Ssempebwa, said the contactor, Chonging International Cooperation (CICO) is already on site and the Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja will officially flag off the project today (March 20) in Kyotera Town council.
“The long wait is indeed over and we want to assure motorists and local leaders in Kyotera that the project is going to start and we expect good work from the contractor,” he said in a telephone interview.
However, Mr Ssempebwa declined to reveal the contract sum.
The 82km road has been in a sorry state for years with motorists from Masaka taking close to two hours to connect to Mutukula border post, a journey that used to take 45 minutes before.
The worst part of the road is the section between Kyotera and Mutukula border town which leaders say has so much frustrated traders' movements, especially the ones carrying cargo.
Mr Patrick Kintu Kisekulo, the Kyotera District chairperson, said the area legislators have been so supportive in reminding the government to fix the road.
"We have done our part as leaders and I'm happy our area MPs have not relaxed at any point. I'm sure the traders and other road users will be relieved once the road is fixed,” he said
Mr John Paul Mpalanyi, the Kyotera County MP, told this publication that rehabilitating the road is timely since it is a key transportation artery for East African region.
"As politicians, we have been facing a lot of pressure from our electorate to explain why this essential transportation artery connecting us to Tanzania and other countries in the south continues to be in a poor state. This is the only way we can justify our relevancy as leaders," he said.
The plan to rehabilitate Masaka-Kyotera-Mutukula road comes at a time when the government is also planning to establish a regional market at Kasanvu Village in Mutukula Town Council.
The market, whose construction will be funded by South Africa-based Degitech Energy Company Ltd at a tune of Shs 2.8 trillion, is expected to start soon.
It will bring together manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers and consumers from all over the East African region. The market will be operating every Tuesday and Friday and will also have a livestock yard where animals such as sheep, goats, and cattle, among others will be kept temporarily for slaughter and sale on the local and export market.
There has been a remarkable increase in volumes of transit cargo through Mutukula border post ever since it became a one – stop-border –post , which operates 24 hours daily since 2017. For seven years now, transit goods, passengers, travellers and exports exiting through Mutukula to either Tanzania or Uganda, stop once for clearance by immigration and customs officials.
