How heavy trucks illegally use Katonga Bridge at night

Sulaiman Kasumba (not real name) is a Fuso truck driver regularly transporting bananas (matooke) from south-western Uganda to Kampala City.

When River Katonga Bridge on Mbarara–Masaka-Kampala highway in Mpigi District got damaged on May 11, Kasumba, like other motorists, started using the Masaka-Sembaule Kanoni- Mpigi route.

But because the diversion route is longer and consumes more fuel, Kasumba says sometime last month, a fellow hauler revealed to him that he can use Katonga Bridge and save time and some fuel provided he can pay some money to security personnel manning the bridge.

The Monitor investigations reveal that the risk of using Katonga Bridge by heavy truck drivers happens between 11pm and 3am.

“This is the time when most people are asleep and there is less traffic on the road,” he says.

According to Kasumba, on the first day [October 8], he attempted to use Katonga Bridge at night, he feared thinking that he would be blocked at the bridge and possibly get arrested.

“But my colleague had given  me a telephone number of one of the security personnel at the bridge whom I called and explained how their racket operates. He [security personnel], advised me to go and park the truck at Katonga Trading Centre near the road going to Ggolo around 10pm,” he narrates.

Adding: “When I reached the spot, a man came closer to my truck and asked for money (bribe),he said he wanted Shs50,000 considering the size of the truck, for trailers and sand trucks, I am told they charge between Shs100,000 and Shs150,000.”

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After taking the money, Kasumba says the middle-aged man asked him to wait for his turn [to cross the bridge] and at exactly 11pm, he received a phone call and the person on the other side of the telephone asked him to cross the bridge, which he swiftly did.

“They [security personnel], allowed me to cross and their colleagues manning the check point across the bridge also did the same because they  had already signaled to them,”  he says.

Another truck driver, whose identity we have concealed for fear of reprisal, says he has used the bridge in the past couple of weeks and saves close to 100 litres of diesel on every trip.

“When we were banned from using the bridge, my boss started giving me extra fuel. So, I sell some of that fuel now and recover the money I pay to the team at Katonga,” he says.

Truck drivers who mostly use the bridge at night, according to the Monitor investigations, are those ferrying sand from Lwera swamp, and those transporting cattle, matooke and perishable commodities such aas  tomatoes from either Masaka area or southwestern Uganda.

When a truck is crossing the bridge, the investigations reveal that traffic officers manning the  bridge first stop other vehicles coming from the opposite direction. On average , one truck is allowed to cross the bridge and another crosses 30minutes later, according to investigations.

Mr Isiah Kimbugwe, the  chairperson LCII  Kayabwe A & B Ward, acknowledges the practice.

“Corruption is the cancer eating up this country,” he says.

“It is an open secret that heavy trucks are using the bridge at night and weakening it every day. What if it [bridge] carves in when there is a bus crossing, how many people can lose their lives there?” Mr Martin Ssejjemba, the Mpigi District chairperson, wonders.

Mr Francis Buye, the chairperson Nkozi Sub-county, says they have in the past four months been telling  Uganda National Roads Authority (Unra)  officials that the people manning the bridge allow heavy trucks to cross at night but the latter downplayed the reports.

“Our people in Nkozi, who own  small trucks of two tonnes,  have been pleading with Unra to allow them use the bridge and take their poultry products  to Kampala instead of going through Sembabule but they refused,” he said.

“Yet heavy trucks weighing 40 tonnes and above are moving freely at night, is that fair ?” he wonders.

Mr Allan Ssempebwa, the Unra spokesperson, when contacted, said they are unaware that truck drivers are flouting the set protocols on usage of  the bridge.

“I was not aware of that [heavy trucks stealthily using the bridge] unless you help me with the evidence you are basing on,” he says.

“Sometime back, we received similar reports and our investigations revealed that residents were seeing trucks that were delivering materials for the bridge construction,” he adds.

The contractor, China Communications Company Ltd, (CCCC),   has since erected half of the alternative steel bridge and according to Mr Ssempebwa, all vehicles will be able to use it by mid-December.

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