Why seal off the road?
Oct 04, 2008
EDITOR—On Saturday you published a photograph of Kamuli Lubawo Road sealed off because it is being tarmacked! This is very strange indeed because even when highways are being repaired or constructed, there must be access.
EDITOR—On Saturday you published a photograph of Kamuli Lubawo Road sealed off because it is being tarmacked! This is very strange indeed because even when highways are being repaired or constructed, there must be access.
The standard practice is that half the road is blocked and worked on while the other half remains open to the public. When the work is finished the contactor embarks on the undone part and opens up the finished half. For the contractors to be so confident as to block a public utility on both sides with the blessing of Kira town council tells an interesting story.
The road is not only blocked from the Ntinda side but also from Kireka as well! As if that is not enough, there is a policeman armed with an AK47 rifle on Kamuli Lubawo Road to prevent people from forcing their way through a rough access after the point where the road is blocked. A person who needs urgent medical attention would have to be carried to the road block!
I am told there are several policemen at night who guard the place! Tempers have started flaring! What if there was a scuffle and the policemen shot a person! The road is sealed but there is no work being done! I suspect something went wrong in the procurement procedure. It would be interesting to know how the contactors got the contract and how experienced they are in civil works. Sam Njuba is the area MP. What does he say about the matter?
Or isn’t that an issue because there are no votes involved? How can armed policemen be deployed to enforce an illegal act? The Kira LC3 chairman Mamerito Mugerwa probably thinks he is doing the people a favour who must be eternally grateful to him for having the road tarmacked!
He should be reminded that it is public funds being used and what is being done should have been done long before! Somebody more responsible should intervene as soon as possible. This is a sign of lawlessness and lack of accountability to the people!
Jonathan Mugisha
Kireka
The standard practice is that half the road is blocked and worked on while the other half remains open to the public. When the work is finished the contactor embarks on the undone part and opens up the finished half. For the contractors to be so confident as to block a public utility on both sides with the blessing of Kira town council tells an interesting story.
The road is not only blocked from the Ntinda side but also from Kireka as well! As if that is not enough, there is a policeman armed with an AK47 rifle on Kamuli Lubawo Road to prevent people from forcing their way through a rough access after the point where the road is blocked. A person who needs urgent medical attention would have to be carried to the road block!
I am told there are several policemen at night who guard the place! Tempers have started flaring! What if there was a scuffle and the policemen shot a person! The road is sealed but there is no work being done! I suspect something went wrong in the procurement procedure. It would be interesting to know how the contactors got the contract and how experienced they are in civil works. Sam Njuba is the area MP. What does he say about the matter?
Or isn’t that an issue because there are no votes involved? How can armed policemen be deployed to enforce an illegal act? The Kira LC3 chairman Mamerito Mugerwa probably thinks he is doing the people a favour who must be eternally grateful to him for having the road tarmacked!
He should be reminded that it is public funds being used and what is being done should have been done long before! Somebody more responsible should intervene as soon as possible. This is a sign of lawlessness and lack of accountability to the people!
Jonathan Mugisha
Kireka