SOROTI – The 15 districts created years ago have not received road equipment from the Ministry of Works and Transport, meant for routine road maintenance so as to keep them in good shape, theCooperator has learned.
They include Kagadi, Kakumiro, Omoro, Rubanda, Butebo, Rukiga, Kyotera, Bunyangabu, Bugweri, Nabilatuk, Kikuube, Kwania, Karenga, Kapelebyong, Kazo, Kalaki, Terego, Obongi and Madi Okollo.
These districts became effective on 1st July, 2016 and 1st July, 2017 respectively bringing the total number of districts in Uganda now to 135.
Parliament approved the creation of these districts with the aim of bringing services closure to the locals hence effective and equitable service delivery.
Though people have gotten job opportunities from various public offices in respective districts, the road network remains a nightmare due to lack of road equipment.
The equipment includes, among others graders, wheel loaders, rollers, tractors and Tipper Lorries.
Francis Akorikin, the LCV Chairperson Kapelebyong district said, since Kapelebyong district became operational in 2017, they don’t have road equipment up to date.
He explained that lack of road equipment has left the road infrastructure not only in Kapelebyong district but across the newly created 15 districts in dire straits.
These districts are suffering and this has affected service delivery to residents and also affected the effective utilization of the road fund to the districts,” Akorikin said.
Samuel Okello, the LCV Chairperson Kalaki district, which became operational on 1st of July, 2019, revealed that they are unable to carry out periodic road maintenance and planned opening of roads due to lack of equipment.
He said that their efforts to borrow road equipment from Kaberamaido district are bogged down because the district works department has ongoing works.
Okello now wants the government through the ministry of works and transport to consider distributing road equipment to all the newly created districts to cater for their road maintenance works.
The LCV Chairperson Nabilatuk Paul Lokol, told theCooperator that the situation is compounded by inconsistent remittance of funds and the dwindling funding from the central government for road maintenance.
“It’s the mandate of the government to distribute road equipment to all districts across the country for road maintenance, and failure for some districts to have this equipment indicates negation of service delivery,” stated Lokol.
In response, the state minister for works and transport, Francis Musa Ecweru who also doubles as the Member of Parliament for Amuria county blamed the failure by the government to distribute road equipment to the affected districts on financial constraints.
He said that in the Shs45 trillion budget for the 2020/2021 financial year, the 10th Parliament appropriated Shs47 billion for the procurement of road equipment for the 15 districts.
“The ministry of works and transport also signed a contract with one of the Japanese companies to supply road equipment, but the ministry of finance has up to date not released the money for that purpose”, Ecweru added.
However, he assured the leadership of the affected districts of the ministry’s commitment to acquire for them road equipment to ease road repairs and cut down on hiring costs.
Ecweru said after rehabilitation, most roads in the country will have permanent axle load checks to restrict trucks that can prove a danger to the roads. Any vehicle found with heavy load will be stopped, until the load is made to fit the axle load.
He added that the plan to acquire better permanent axle load-checking machines, like the one at Lukaya, will work in harmony with the East Africa axle load control.
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