The Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) has come under fire for failing to fulfil its pledge to repair the Kabale-Kisoro Road which was recently damaged by landslides.

UNRA initiated reconstruction works and promised to fix the road in three (03) weeks from 04^th May 2023 when it was damaged following heavy rains in the Hamurwa Town Council area in Rubanda District.

Following the damage to the Kabale-Kisoro Road where sections collapsed after heavy rains hit the area, Allison Abenawe, the Kabale Station Manager of the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) gave a commitment that the road would be fixed with urgency since it is a major highway leading to Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Abenawe pledged that the repair works would take approximately three weeks, provided all motorists were diverted to leave the damaged road and use alternative routes. Now, some people are faulting UNRA for not delivering on its pledge even as they called for a sustainable solution. 

UNRA advised motorists to use the 88km Kabale-Katuna-Rubaya-Muko road or the 20km Kabale-Lake Bunyonyi-Kacwekano-Kagarama-Heisesero route, to access Kisoro District and beyond. Subsequently, UNRA closed the road to traffic to facilitate effective repair works.

However, shortly after, the State Minister for Works, Musa Ecweru, directed UNRA to reopen the road for essential traffic, particularly for trucks transporting goods to the Eastern DRC and Rwanda. Following the minister's directive, motorists abandoned the suggested alternative routes and resumed using the road that was under repair.

It has become evident that UNRA still has a significant amount of work to do to complete the road repairs. The initial three-week period to have the repairs complete passed with little visible progress. Abenawe attributed the delay to technical breakdowns in their equipment, which slowed their progress in effectively handling the emergency works.

Allan Ssempebwa, the UNRA spokesperson, confirmed in a phone interview with our reporter that some of their equipment had indeed broken down. He, however, gave reassurance that the repairs were ongoing although he did not provide a specific timeline for when the road would be fully functional again.

Stephen Kasyaba, the Rubanda District Chairperson, emphasized that the ongoing works must include an efficient drainage system to ensure that water flows freely and does not destroy the road again.

The Kigezi sub-region was severely impacted by the recent landslides and floods caused by heavy rains at the beginning of May 2023. The floods and mudslides left over 23 people dead, scores injured, rendered most roads impassable, and caused significant damage to property worth millions of shillings.

Job Namanya