Gov’t urged to revive railway network in Teso Subregion

SOROTI CITY, December 4, 2024 – The Teso Paramount Chief, Paul Sande Emolot, has urged the Ugandan government to consider re-establishing a railway connection in the subregion, stating that it would significantly boost trade.

Emolot made this call during the recently concluded Ateker Reunion Festival, held at Soroti Playground in Soroti City.

The Ateker community, which shares a common ancestry traceable to the Kaffa people of Ethiopia, comprises various groups, including the Nyangatom [Ethiopia], Topotha, Bari, and Torit [South Sudan], Iteso, Karimojong, Jie, Dodoth, Kumam, Langi, and Kakwa [Uganda], as well as the Masai, Iteso, and Turkana [Kenya], and Masai [Tanzania].

“It is our wish, Your Excellency [President Museveni], that you connect the people of the Ateker community by railway, from Soroti to Moroto and onwards to the Ethiopian border. I am confident that this is achievable, given the many resources within the Ateker region,” Emolot said.

He further emphasised that connecting Teso to the railway line would improve the living standards of its people.

He added: “I have also heard that the governments of Uganda, Ethiopia, and Kenya are planning to construct a road linking Uganda to Ethiopia via Kenya. I believe this project will greatly enhance the livelihoods of the people in the Ateker region.”

In April 2023, the Government of Uganda, through the Ministry of Works and Transport and Uganda Railways Corporation as the implementing agency, signed a contract with China Roads and Bridges Corporation to rehabilitate 382 kilometres of the Tororo–Gulu metre-gauge railway line, which has been non-operational for 30 years.

The railway line runs through Mbale, Soroti, and Lira, and terminates at the Gulu Logistics Hub (GLH). The rehabilitation aims to enhance Uganda’s infrastructure, increasing its competitiveness and fostering integrated transport services across the country.

President Museveni, who was the guest of honour at the Ateker Reunion Festival, highlighted the need for more markets across Africa, noting that Uganda’s market alone is limited.

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