By Ampaire Patience
Lyantonde district was allocated Ugx1 billion to rehabilitate roads that were damaged by the heavy rains earlier this year-Swift Daily News has learnt.
The above allocation follows a presidential directive that was given in April 2023 stating that each district and municipality be given Ugx1 billion for rehabilitation of roads outside the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) jurisdiction.
Swift Daily News understands that the funds will be disbursed through the Ministry of Works and Transport.
According to Lyantonde District Engineer Mr. Jonadarb Tindimwebwa, the funds will help them rehabilitate six roads stretching to 71 kilometers.
The roads that were affected by the rains include;
1.Kalyamenvu, Buyaga, Mpumudde road 8kms,
2. Buyaga, Kyemamba, Kabingo road 14km,
3.Kabingo, Kabutetera, Kashagama road 18km,
4.Kalagala, Kabatema, Nakaseta road 18km,
5.Kasambya, kyevunikidde, kalagala road 5kms.
6.Kamusenene, Kankyebebe road 8kms.
”Our people have been facing it hard to transport their agriculture produces due to bad roads but am sure when we get this money it will be a relief for them especially our farmers,” said Mr Tindimwebwa.
Meanwhile, at the national level, State Minister for Works, Hon. Musa Ecweru recently said that the 2023/2024 roads budget is largely focusing on rehabilitation as directed by the President.
Ecweru said the president asked them to minimize the opening and tarmacking of new roads and first work on the old ones that require rehabilitation, especially in the financial year starting in June.
“The President has directed that in the 2023/24 financial year, three-quarters of resources allocated to works should go to road rehabilitation. We may not open so many new roads for tarmacking, but let us maintain what we have,” said Ecweru.
The minister explained that many roads across the country were recently devastated by heavy rains against the backdrop of limited resources thus becoming a huge burden to the government.
He however, noted that the Cabinet holds the reservation to select a few special road construction projects that could still be worked on in the new financial year.
