By Joseph Tumushime

Two extremes are known about this 80km winding road: During the dry season, clouds of dust choke passengers and surrounding vegetation alike, while during the rainy season, it almost becomes impassable because of the mud and terrain-related problems.

Every presidential campaign has brought with it renewed promises to repair it amidst threats to withhold the votes by the local population. Interestingly, the bigger part of the road is in Kabale district but it is only the people of Kisoro who have demonstrated dismay over the unfulfilled promise. This renders credence to the rumour that some politicians from Kabale district are behind the delay to fix the road for fear that a good road would see some businesses shifting from Kabale town to Kisoro town.

There are many benefits that would accrue from a good road to Kisoro. For example:
lKisoro is potentially a rich district with precious resources such as the rare mountain gorillas which attract many tourists. Currently gorilla tracking costs sh700.000 for foreigners and sh100,000 for citizens. Kisoro also produces agricultural products such as irish potatoes, beans, maize, passion fruits and dairy products.

lKisoro is densely populated and a good road would bring essential goods and services closer to the people. Currently eight buses operate on Kisoro-Kabale route.

lA good road would tap the market potential in North West Rwanda and the eastern DRC. Currently an average of 15 heavy commercial vehicles (trailers) pass through Kisoro town to DRC daily.

Therefore anybody with a proper development plan should know that a good road to Kisoro would benefit the entire nation.

Suggestions that the road is not economically viable are also unfounded.

The problem has been that rather than considering the economic viability of the road, which is actually quite clear and obvious, many of our people have taken the political vantage point of it and have been duped to go begging, knees down, to the leading politicians so that the road can be constructed, but all in vain.

A popular wise man, by the name of George Bernard show once said, “We have no more right to consume happiness, with out producing it, than to consume wealth without producing it”. The government is reminded that it is duty bound to work on the road, especially given the many promises to do so, or it is declared to be full of people who do not do what they say. Let the leaders learn the discipline of cleaning the plates, before eating from them.