Ethiopian firm to design Jinja roads

The Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development has hired M/S Silesh Consult with M/S SABA Engineering from Ethiopia to carry out designs on the 4.9km roads in Jinja Municipality.

The designs are being done along Eng. Zikusooka Way; a 3km stretch from the Police roundabout up to UNRA offices.

This is one of the impassable roads with huge potholes in Jinja town which motorists had abandoned.

Instead, it is being used by heavy truck drivers for parking while taxi drivers utilize it for repairing their vehicles with garbage skips placed in the middle of the road.

It was once gazetted to temporarily house vendors of Jinja Central Market at the time the main market was being constructed.

Other roads due for designing include 1.3km of Jinja Main Street from Dunlop to Post Bank while connecting to Busoga Road.

Busoga Road leads to Jinja State Lodge, Bank of Uganda, the Jinja District Council as well as the Municipal Council among other institutions.

The three roads are to be constructed under the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development (USMID).

According to the Jinja Municipal engineer, Saeed Muhamad, the draft designs are likely to be completed by the end of November.

Earlier Jinja Municipal Council and USMID's country project coordinator Dr. Isaac Mutenyo clashed over delayed designs for the said roads.

Much as Mutenyo blamed the Municipality, Muhamad also hit back saying the project was under the central government.

Under this program, Muhamad said it was government responsible for procuring the consultant and not the council.

He however added that a new abattoir would also be constructed under USMID's second phase.

Once the designs are complete, Muhamad said they would convene a stakeholders' meeting to discuss where the roads would pass ahead of their construction.

The Nalufenya-Clive Road west of 2.5km was the first project under USMID to be constructed at sh8.5b by Long-Jian a Chinese firm.

It was constructed to international standard with a lifespan of 25 years with solar street lights.

Jinja is part of the 13 other municipalities that have benefited from USMID.

The municipalities include Gulu, Hoima, Mbale, Entebbe, Lira, Fort Portal, Arua, Lira, Moroto, Soroti, Kabale, Masaka and Tororo.