Locals demand tarmac on Isingiro-Rakai road

Leaders have tasked government to prioritise tarmacking the 220 kilometre Isingiro-Rakai road.
The road stretches from Isingiro Town Council-Rugaga, Ntantamuki and then Rakai with one corner connecting to Mutukula border with Tanzania and one goes to Mirama Hill that connects to Rwanda.

While at the launch of Millenium SACCO 2012 in Rugaga Town Council in Isingiro District last Friday, where Vice President Jessica Alupo was the chief guest, the leaders said the district has been struggling with poor road network.
“The people of Isingiro and Bukanga in particular are purely farmers. We have 152 lorries every day that come out of Isingiro taking matooke to Kampala and South Sudan. The whole of Bunyoro is covered with tarmac and now that it is done, this is time for Isingiro,” Mr Nathan Byanyima, the Member of Parliament Bukanga North, said.

Mr Byanyima said government would not incur compensation expenses.
“This road you see up to Rakai is the only road in Uganda where you will put money but you will not compensate many people. From Isingiro up to here, it is a government land so you will not compensate anybody. We need 220km of tarmac road in Bukanga then we shall not demand anything from the government because these people are self-reliant,”Mr Byanyima said.

The Isingiro District chairperson, Mr Aroni Turahi, said President Museveni should tarmac the road as a reward for the support residents give during elections. 
“In this country, we are the only people with bad roads and yet we are the very people who voted for the president with 94 percent and I don’t think that it happens in other areas. I do not know why the president can’t at least reward us by constructing a road,” Mr Turahi said.

The Bukanga County MP, Mr Steven Kangwagye, said farmers face difficiulties in transporting their agricultural products to markets.
“We are good farmers and we have managed to follow all the programmes very well because we love President Museveni,” Mr Kangwangye said.

He added that the road would also ease access to Rwanda.
Ms Alupo said she would rally the Cabinet and the President to ensure that the Isingiro-Rakai road is expedited.
“On the issue of the road, I join your leaders who are very hardworking Members of Parliament to mobilise more MPs and ministers including the president to shorten the time which has been planned to work on our road,”Ms Alupo said.

Ms Alupo said government is committed to ensure that Ugandans get the services they desire. 
 “I have listened to speeches here. So many trucks of matooke use the road but with difficulty. Also so many leaders use the road to reach you including the health workers and extension workers. So there is a need for the road to be tarmacked. We have the justification. We shall smoothly manage that one,” Ms Alupo said.
Isingiro-Rakai road was included in the National Development Plan III for the Financial Year 2020/2021 for construction.