Kampala, Wakiso feeder roads have been ignored
May 29, 2008
June 3 is Uganda Martyrs Day and all roads will lead to Namugongo once again. Whenever there is an important soccer match at Mandela National Stadium, Namboole, the feeder roads off the Kampala-Jinja highway choke with traffic.
By Adyeri Kanyaihe
June 3 is Uganda Martyrs Day and all roads will lead to Namugongo once again. Whenever there is an important soccer match at Mandela National Stadium, Namboole, the feeder roads off the Kampala-Jinja highway choke with traffic.
When there is a problem on the highway and the road is partially closed, it is the feeder roads which bail out motorists. It is sad, however, to behold the pathetic state of these roads in the immediate neighbourhood of our capital city.
The busiest feeder road, Kamuli-Lubaawo Road, off Namugongo Road leading to Naalya and Ntinda, is a glaring shame to the Kyadondo East constituency, Wakiso. It is a shame to Kampala City Council and to the works ministry!
The junction off the Naalya Road to Kamuli Lubaawo and Banda at Joglo Bar and Restaurant tells a very interesting tale. The potholes have become gorges and ‘cliffs’ and there is no way two vehicles can bypass each other. Because of this, drivers from the Namugongo and Banda side have to stop at the yard of the ‘Yellow Bar’ to allow those from the Naalya Road to struggle uphill. It is a terrible risk to be caught in the middle of the ‘road’. The jam caused by the vehicles after 7:30pm is amazing. The motorists from Ntinda going to Kireka, Banda or Kyambogo have to park in the middle of the Naalya Road to wait for those coming down to weave through the chaos.
For crying out loud, how bad must a road be to merit attention? Most people remember that this road exists whenever need arises, which is often, but nobody ever bothers to ensure its maintenance. It has been deteriorating at an alarming rate without anybody taking interest.
The situation was made worse when huge trucks belonging to the contractors on the Kampala Northern Bypass started using it to ferry materials. All the attention was focused on the bypass without a care to this important feeder road. Although it was important for the contractors’ operations, it was not important enough after their work on the bypass was finished in the neighbourhood.
What has happened to the Kamuli-Lubaawo Road is a microcosm of what is happening all over the country. The scenario begs the question why services like road maintenance were decentralised to the districts when it is painfully obvious that little or nothing at all is being done on the ground.
Where is the bottleneck? Is it the ever-present corruption at the district level or is money not sent to the local district authorities? We cannot meaningfully talk of ‘prosperity-for-all’ when roads are in such a pathetic mess. How will the peasants transport their produce from the hinterland for sale in urban areas to banish poverty? How do the sick in the countryside get to health units?
If Graduated Tax has to come back in another form, so be it. The scrapping of the tax is a common complaint local government authorities in districts have always expressed. If this is the case, there is no reason why a by-law should not require able-bodied people to contribute ‘in kind’ with their labour if they have no money to pay. After all, the monetary taxes citizens pay are meant to take care of social services. People in gainful employment are already saddled with ‘pay as you earn’ which swallows not less than 30% in addition to their contribution under the National Social Security Fund (NSSF). It would, therefore, be unfair to tax them further in order to compensate for the Graduated Tax shortfall. But whatever the reason, feeder roads badly-need attention.
The writer is a journalist
June 3 is Uganda Martyrs Day and all roads will lead to Namugongo once again. Whenever there is an important soccer match at Mandela National Stadium, Namboole, the feeder roads off the Kampala-Jinja highway choke with traffic.
When there is a problem on the highway and the road is partially closed, it is the feeder roads which bail out motorists. It is sad, however, to behold the pathetic state of these roads in the immediate neighbourhood of our capital city.
The busiest feeder road, Kamuli-Lubaawo Road, off Namugongo Road leading to Naalya and Ntinda, is a glaring shame to the Kyadondo East constituency, Wakiso. It is a shame to Kampala City Council and to the works ministry!
The junction off the Naalya Road to Kamuli Lubaawo and Banda at Joglo Bar and Restaurant tells a very interesting tale. The potholes have become gorges and ‘cliffs’ and there is no way two vehicles can bypass each other. Because of this, drivers from the Namugongo and Banda side have to stop at the yard of the ‘Yellow Bar’ to allow those from the Naalya Road to struggle uphill. It is a terrible risk to be caught in the middle of the ‘road’. The jam caused by the vehicles after 7:30pm is amazing. The motorists from Ntinda going to Kireka, Banda or Kyambogo have to park in the middle of the Naalya Road to wait for those coming down to weave through the chaos.
For crying out loud, how bad must a road be to merit attention? Most people remember that this road exists whenever need arises, which is often, but nobody ever bothers to ensure its maintenance. It has been deteriorating at an alarming rate without anybody taking interest.
The situation was made worse when huge trucks belonging to the contractors on the Kampala Northern Bypass started using it to ferry materials. All the attention was focused on the bypass without a care to this important feeder road. Although it was important for the contractors’ operations, it was not important enough after their work on the bypass was finished in the neighbourhood.
What has happened to the Kamuli-Lubaawo Road is a microcosm of what is happening all over the country. The scenario begs the question why services like road maintenance were decentralised to the districts when it is painfully obvious that little or nothing at all is being done on the ground.
Where is the bottleneck? Is it the ever-present corruption at the district level or is money not sent to the local district authorities? We cannot meaningfully talk of ‘prosperity-for-all’ when roads are in such a pathetic mess. How will the peasants transport their produce from the hinterland for sale in urban areas to banish poverty? How do the sick in the countryside get to health units?
If Graduated Tax has to come back in another form, so be it. The scrapping of the tax is a common complaint local government authorities in districts have always expressed. If this is the case, there is no reason why a by-law should not require able-bodied people to contribute ‘in kind’ with their labour if they have no money to pay. After all, the monetary taxes citizens pay are meant to take care of social services. People in gainful employment are already saddled with ‘pay as you earn’ which swallows not less than 30% in addition to their contribution under the National Social Security Fund (NSSF). It would, therefore, be unfair to tax them further in order to compensate for the Graduated Tax shortfall. But whatever the reason, feeder roads badly-need attention.
The writer is a journalist