Kampala-Masaka Highway fully reopened, says Unra

Traffic flow has fully opened on the Kampala-Masaka Highway following completion of remedial restoration works of the damaged spot at the Kyengera—Budo section, the Ugandan National Roads Authority (Unra) said on Tuesday.

By 5pm, vehicles of all sizes were able to use the highway, saving motorists from connecting to the city centre through narrow and jam riddled alternative routes.

Unra spokesperson Allan Ssempebwa said “this is a temporary intervention intended to offer relief.”

“We have done it quite well to take us for a period of time before we can redo the affected section,” Ssempebwa said on Tuesday.

“The road is now fully open for all kinds of traffic be it boda-bodas, motor vehicles, heavy trucks, and Tuk Tuks among others,” he added.

However, he did not reveal the specific duration for giving the road a permanent solution given that the road often caves in.

“The other one requires you to sit down and design a plan, get resources yet an emergence intervention was necessary at this time to restore the misery that our road users had to endure,” he observed.

According to him, government has plans for other sections of highways in low lying areas to mitigate the impacts that flooding may create to their structures.

“This plan has to be matched with the relevant resources. At such a point when resources are adequate, government has already its plans to profile such road sections,” he told journalists.

He noted that these plans have already been implemented on other highways, specifically around River Mayanja, along the Busunju-Hoima Road and Mubende Road among others.

Tuesday’s development stirred mixed reactions amongst road users.

Taxi driver Allan Tugume said Unra has saved them from the nightmare of spending much money on fuel. 

“We were diverted to use alternative routes of Kyengera-Wakimese, Natete- kasenge then Kitemu and connect to Masaka Road and sometimes we have been using Nsangi-Buloba Road then connect to Mityana Road. Now it will be cheaper,” Tugume told Monitor.

But boda-boda riders from different stages within Kyengera, Nabbingo and Kitemu said reopening the section is a big blow to them.

"The term is about to close and we had gotten a chance of collecting money from the stranded passengers but after the reopening, we are going back to zero,” said Robert Muwanga one of the boda boda riders who had been stationed at a junction near the repaired section.

Meanwhile, parent Jackie Namubiru argued that they have been suffering with children for the last two days as she thanked Unra for “the quick work.”