The Ministry of Works and Transport has recognized the poor condition of the Trans-Africa highway and has outlined its plans to renovate this road. A road user expressed concerns regarding the Ministry’s lack of action concerning this highway.
“How did @MoWT_Uganda @mofpedU agree to let 200km of such a crucial segment of the Trans-Africa highway fall to this unacceptable state? How can you discuss regional trade when all the primary highways are non-functional?” the road user remarked.
In response, the Ministry of Works stated that they are negotiating with the Ministry of Finance to improve this road in the upcoming financial year. The Ministry also noted that the country’s road network provides alternative routes to facilitate trade and cross-border movement to mitigate these issues.
“We hear the concerns about the condition of the Mityana—Mubende—Kyegegwa—Kyenjojo highway. Our Ministry, in partnership with @mofpedU, has prioritized necessary actions for this highway in the most recent financial allocations.
Nevertheless, it is essential to highlight that our national road network offers other routes that are still conducive to trade and cross-border movement while we work on resolving the challenges present on this highway,” the Ministry replied.
It’s important to mention that the Trans-African Highway in Uganda is part of the broader Trans-African Highway network. It mainly traverses through Malaba, Kampala, Fort Portal, and Bwera. Although the full route is regarded as an all-weather standard with sections of bitumen and gravel, there are intentions to reconstruct many parts. The highway is vital for Uganda as it connects to Mombasa and links nations in the Great Lakes region.
More complaints arose regarding how the road has become nearly impassable. What used to take about 30 minutes now requires approximately four hours to navigate. Despite the President’s presence during the road’s commissioning last year, no advancements have been made.
“From mpondwe to kikorongo, its now a 4 hr journey from 30minutes, president came with people commissioning it last yr, now citizens are played like that.”
