Local traders bask in profit after Masaka bridge collapse
Business boosts at alternative route. Masaka Bridge, which is a major gateway to key regional borders such as Tanzania, DR Congo, Rwanda and Burundi, caved in last Thursday following devastating flash floods.
What you need to know:
- Many traders say their income has increased and they take home twice what they used to make before the disaster.
Following a redirection of traffic, traders operating along the alternative route to Masaka are now reaping substantial profits, as their once-overlooked section has become a bustling hub of economic activity.
This comes after River Katonga burst its banks cutting off the Kampala-Masaka highway road.
Although some motorists are complaining over high costs of operation as they ply the longer alternative route to southwestern Uganda, many traders have embraced the flourishing business opportunities that have emerged.
Travelers from Kampala heading to Masaka now use Mpigi-Butambala-Sembabule road, where they make stopovers to buy snacks, roasted meat or fresh fruits.
Ms Jessica Nabulime, a fresh fruit vendor in Bukomansimbi Town, says she takes home double what she used to make before the disaster .
Mr Wilson Bantubalamu, a retailer at Kyabi Trading Centre, in Sembabule, prays that the traffic persists to enable him make more money .
“We hear people whining on radio and social media over using this road, but we see it as a blessing in disguise because we are making some money,” he says.
Ms Sheila Asiimwe, a supermarket attendant in Ssembabule Town, says although their road was tarmacked, they had never had such traffic.
After many years of being included in the annual budget speeches without action, the Villa Maria-Bukamansimbi-Sembabule road was in 2020 upgraded from gravel to class 2 bitumen.
Previously, trucks carrying merchandise, livestock (cows, sheep, goats, and pigs), milk and agricultural produce, faced transportation difficulty depending on the weather.
“Some people may view us as cashing in on misery, but it is God who planned this. We just pray that a good number of motorists, especially those from Western Uganda develop love for this route even after Katonga Bridge is repaired,” Ms Asiimwe says.
Mr Chris Bantariza, a fuel pump attendant at Bam filling station in Sembabule, says his customers have tripled in the past week.
“We were serving a few local customers, mainly boda boda riders but nowadays, we even get heavy trucks and buses. We are indeed in business,” he says.
Meanwhile, Mr Joseph Wasswa Ssekitto, the general secretary of the Lukaya Road Toll Vendors Association, says many traders, who abandoned Lukaya on the Kampala-Masaka highway and moved to townships on the diversion route, may have failed to get space to put up their businesses.
“That road has no climbing lanes and bus stop sheds where they could stage and sell their snacks such as gonja (roasted bananas) and roasted beef. Those who have attempted to go to towns like Sembabule and Bukomansimbi have returned,’’ he says.
Amid shifting of small businesses, the police have suspended all seasonal markets operating on the roadside of the alternative route in major towns such as Mpigi to avoid road crashes.
Ms Lydia Tumushabe, the Katonga Regional police spokesperson, advises the public to be mindful of the increased traffic flow.
“We caution drivers to adhere to traffic regulations, be considerate of other road users, and follow road signs and directions, especially around markets, schools, hospitals farms and trading centres,” she says.
