Residents task Minister Kiyonga over Kasese bridges

By John Nzinjah

A chairman of a village in Kasese district recently tasked the defence minister Dr. Crispus Kiyonga to assure residents that the government was serious about a promise to construct a bridge across River Lhubiriha.

The bridge is found in Bukonzo West constituency, which has Kiyonga as the area MP.

“Many of our people have drowned as they tried to cross Lhubiriha River because there is no bridge,” said Matia Sawusawu, the Kyabikere LC1 chairperson.

For now, residents cross over the river by using a rickety foot bridge.

The local leader added: “Governments have come and gone and ministers have visited the place, giving hope and promising the people that the Gridge is going to be constructed but all in vain. We are not also sure that this time government is serious.”

He said this during a fundraising function at Kitholhu Secondary School in Kitholhu sub-county in Bukonzo West constituency, where Minister Kiyonga was the chief guest.

River Lhubiriha is in the immediate neighborhood of the school.

It separates the sub-counties of Karambi and Kitholhu at Kyabikere village and flows to form the boundary between Uganda and the DR Congo in Kasese district, then emptying into Lake Edward.

Sawusawu was apparently making reference to the promise made by John Byabagambi, the minister of works and transport when he was at Kyabayenze in May to handover the site of the proposed bridge to the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) before construction starts.

While at the site, Byabagambi promised an enthusiastic local gathering that construction of a number of bridges in Kasese district including Kyabayenze and those that were washed away during the May 2013 floods would start in three months' time from the day he was in the area.

“The central government will in the next three months begin the renovation of four bridges that were destroyed by the floods in the past two years  and also Kyabayenze  Bridge,” Byabagambi had told the gathering.

Back then, the works minister said the bridges will cost sh24 billion to build. He named them as: Kyabayenze Bridge, Kyalhumba-Musasa Bridge on Nyamugasani River, Ruboni Bridge on River Mubuku and Maliba-Kyanya Bridge on River Kithakena.

He was made known of the death of 16 people who reportedly drowned while trying to cross the makeshift Kyabayenze footbridge.

Responding to the residents’ concerns, Kiyonga assured a gathering of about 1,000 people that government had earmarked the money to construct the named bridges.

“The NRM government does not make empty promises and I want to re-emphasize what my brother Byabagambi said when he was in the district recently that work on the bridges is going to start.”

Close to sh30m was collected at the fundraising, with Kiyonga contributing sh3m to the cause.