Karuma Bridge closed again, new repairs to take three weeks

Travellers from northern Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan will now utilise alternative routes following the closure of Karuma Bridge again to pave the way for its full reconstruction works which will take about three weeks.
 
This vital traffic link for northern Uganda, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, was closed to all traffic and road users on Monday (March 24, 2025).
 
‘Inconveniences’
 
Last week, the government deferred yet again the long-anticipated full closure of the 62-year-old bridge.
 
The decision to close the 62-year-old bridge, according to the Ministry of Works and Transport, was to allow for the completion of repairs on the Masindi Port ferry, one of the key alternative routes for motorists.
 
While the government had promised that a new closure date would be communicated, Monday's episode left some road users stranded since there was no clear communication from the side of the government.
 
Early Monday morning, travelers were allowed access to the bridge before it was closed off.
“I was allowed to access the bridge to take some footage but after filing the story from the Karuma Town side, I was told I could not go back to Kamdini because the bridge is now closed,” Julius Ocen, NTV correspondent in Lango Sub-region, said.
 
A security personnel manning the bridge indicated that travelers would use a boat to cross to Kamdini but he did not mention the specific area where that boat would be stationed.
 
‘Alternative routes’
 
Not all is lost. Now that people cannot cross over the bridge, alternative routes have been provided for you.
 
For those accessing Kampala from Lira, for instance, the alternative route is Soroti-Kumi-Pallisa-Tirinyi-Nakalama-Iganga.
 
However, this alternative route increases the distance by 75.7 kilometres compared to the 338-kilometre drive between Kampala and Lira through Karuma.
 
Our computations with the help of Googlemaps show a bus setting off from Lira to and fro Kampala using the eastern route would need extra fuel of 30.28 litres.
 
For traffic from Kampala to Gulu, travellers can branch off from Kafu to Masindi-Paraa-Pakwach route and connect to Gulu through Anaka. This route increases the distance by 85 kilometres compared to the 335-kilometre drive between Uganda’s capital and the biggest city in northern Uganda.
 
With drivers estimating that a bus, the vehicle of choice for passengers on the route, covering six kilometres on a litre, it means the 85 kilometres would require 14.4 extra litres.
 
A driver of a Toyota Sienta 2016 model: 1.5cc vvti engine earlier told this newspaper that if he sets off from Lira to Kampala via Karuma he needs fuel worth Shs100,000. But with the traffic diversion through the park, he now needs extra fuel worth Shs80,000.
 
Travellers from Pader, Kitgum, Agago, Abim, and Otuke can access Kampala through Lira, Apac-Masind Port or the eastern route.
 
Lira-Kampala through Apac via the Masindi Port route has issues. First and foremost, it's under construction and the distance between Kampala to Lira via Masindi Port is 413 kilometres. Also, the Masindi Port ferry has a capacity to carry only one bus.
 
‘Cost savings’
 
The alternative route cuts the distance for a traveller to West Nile by roughly 80 kilometres in addition to potential time savings.
 
There are, however, other hurdles: the speed limit on the newly-surfaced oil road inside Paraa is 40 kilometres per hour under which a trip from one side of the gate to the others takes a minimum of two hours, meaning time saved could be lost in slower travel than on Gulu highway via Karuma. 
 
There’s also a final time limit per day, 5 pm, beyond which motorists can cross into Paraa, meaning more drivers and passengers are more likely to incur additional accommodation on either side of Murchison Falls National Park if caught by time.
 
Mr Benard Anyeko Matsanga, the spokesman for Uganda Northern Drivers and Transport Network Association, said the closure of the bridge did not come as a surprise to transporters.
 
“We were told that the bridge was going to be reopened for easy travelling during the Christmas and New Year festive season and it was also meant to allow parents to take their children back to school without much inconvenience of travelling via longer routes. So nothing is surprising about the second closure of Karuma Bridge,” he said.
 
About Karuma Bridge 
 
The bridge on River Nile at Karuma is a central national asset, interconnecting traffic and business outside and or within other parts of Uganda to the north and onwards to larger markets in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.