President Yoweri Museveni this afternoon commissioned the construction of the Kyaliwajjala-Kira-Kasangati-Matugga Road which will greatly decongest Kampala City and the Metropolitan areas.

This road, in Central Uganda, connects the neighborhood of Kyaliwajjala, in Kira Municipality in Wakiso District, to the town of Matugga, also in Wakiso District.

This road is part of the 101 kilometres (63 miles) of the Kampala Outer Beltway Project.

This expressway is supposed to run from Ggaba, through Seeta, Matugga, Wakiso to Nsangi.

The Kampala Outer Beltway Project, is one of the 10 expressways, being constructed by Government, as part of the bigger plan, to decongest the Kampala city.

It is being worked on with the Japanese Development Agency (JICA) to signalise at least 30 city junctions to ease traffic.

The Government embarked on a programme to decongest Kampala city and the metropolitan area of traffic jam by constructing 10 expressways to ease traffic flow.

The other expressways include; Kampala-Mpigi Expressway, Kibuye-Busega Expressway, Busega-Mpigi Expressway, Kampala-Bombo Expressway, Kampala Flyover Construction and Road Upgrading Project.

Others are Kampala-Nansana-Busunju Expressway, Kampala-Bujuuko Dual Carriage, Nakasero-Northern Bypass Express Route.

Stretch of the road

The road starts at Kyaliwajjala, along the Kireka-Namugongo Road.

It proceeds in a northwesterly direction to Downtown Kira. From there it continues northwestwards to Kasangati.

At Kasangati, it crosses the Kampala-Gayaza Road and continues through Nangabo and Kiti, to end at Matugga, on the Kampala-Gulu Highway, approximately 20 kilometres (12 miles) from where it began.

The construction contract is budgeted at approximately sh200bn ($55 million).

UNRA says its construction is expected to last three years and that its funding is 100 percent provided by the Government of Uganda.

UNRA says that the road is a busy transport corridor in northern Kyaddondo County, linking rapidly expanding residential neighborhoods and business centers.

Up until August 2020, most of the road was gravel-surfaced in varying stages of disrepair.

That month, the Uganda National Roads Authority signed a construction contract with a Chinese contractor to upgrade the road to class II bitumen standard with shoulders, drainage channels, and culverts.

The construction contract was awarded to Chongqing International Construction Corporation (CICO).

Work includes widening the road to single carriageway standard.

Five road junctions at Kyaliwajjala, Kira, Kasangati, Kiti and Matugga will be improved and/or equipped with traffic signals.

Each side of the road will get a bicycle and pedestrian lane.

Automated solar security lights are to be installed along the entire 20 kilometres (12 miles) of the road.

Photo caption: President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni commissioning the Kyaliwajala-Kira-Kasangati-Matugga road. Photos by Mpalanyi Ssentongo