Lira City traders bitter over delayed completion of road works

LIRA- All is not well in Lira City as traders who do business along Olwol Road say the delayed completion of construction works has made them incur losses as the road remains closed, pushing away the much-needed would-be customers.

The traders say the closure of the road has severely affected their businesses and that if nothing is done to speed up the process of reopening, they would hold nude demonstrations as a way of expressing their anger.

The road was closed by contractors to keep away vehicles and human traffic so that reconstruction activities like laying a new sewerage system are carried out easily, on top of preventing accidents.

However, the traders say if construction works are delayed for another month, the over 30 shops along the street will be closed due to lack of customers and inability to clear rent arrears.

The traders who include Agro input dealers, restaurants, bookshops, boutiques, and dealers in irrigation equipment among others are counting losses due to the closure of the once busy road. Eight shops, including the City Mall, have so far been shut due to lack of customers.

The road is among five roads in Lira City being reconstructed under the Word Bank-funded Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development (USMID) program.

The other roads include Uhuru Park, Obangakene, Bala, Noteber roads. Other construction works are taking place at Children’s Park at Adyel and Coronation Park in the city centre.

The project worth Shs 35 billion was awarded to Abubakari Technical Services in a joint venture with M/S Al-Nuami Group, a year ago.

Gloria Apwoya, running a boutique at City Mail, said, “it is now two months since the road was closed and we have lost all the customers.”

“Our children are going back to school and at the same time, the landlord needs money for rent, where do we get money, “Apwoya asked, calling on city leaders and the contractors to complete the road works as soon as possible.

Christine Ochan, another businesswoman, said she has been served with a demand note from the landlord`s lawyer to clear the two months’ rent areas amounting to Shs 600, 000.

“We were told that the closing will go for 15 months and if that is the case, we shall not continue to operate in isolation,” she said.

Moses Elong, the site engineer, said the construction works have been delayed due to heavy rains in the area.

“For heavy rains, is a normal disaster and I could not predict when the water level will subside and work resumes,” he said in a brief interview.

The USMID program started in 2013 in 14 municipalities/cities which include; Fort Portal, Hoima, Kabale, Mbarara, Arua, Lira, Masaka, Entebbe, Jinja, Tororo, Mbale, Soroti, Moroto, and Gulu.

In 2019, it added eight more towns; Lugazi, Kasese, Kamuli, Mubende, Apac, Kitgum, Ntungamo and Busia to make 23 municipalities/cities.

However, it is not only residents of Lira City crying. Other cities like Mbale have had their residents complain about the delayed completion of the construction works.

USMID program target is to enhance institutional performance, which includes revenue collection, and service delivery among others.

https://thecooperator.news/government-takes-over-lira-kamdini-road-reconstruction/

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