Nasasira, work on those roads
Aug 17, 2010
DEAR Eng. John Nasasira, Minister of Works and Transport, I have travelled many roads these past two weeks in Uganda. With a quiet chuckle of satisfaction, I noticed that the Busia- Kampala road was far superior to its Kenyan counterpart from Kisumu to Busia.
DEAR Eng. John Nasasira, Minister of Works and Transport, I have travelled many roads these past two weeks in Uganda. With a quiet chuckle of satisfaction, I noticed that the Busia- Kampala road was far superior to its Kenyan counterpart from Kisumu to Busia.
Indeed, the latter was so bad that the journey took an extra hour. Often, I had to dodge potholes the size of ditches, rarely with success resulting in bone-jarring bumps throughout that journey. But, once in Uganda, the road practically drove the car. The only problem was the Mukono bottleneck which slowed everything to a maddening snail-pace.
As well, the Kampala-Gulu drive was very smooth, so smooth in fact that I had to be extra alert to avoid those speeding monster trucks that tend to thrive on good roads.
Again, here the problem seemed to be the tight squeeze at the beginning of the journey (or the end of it depending on the direction of travel) in Bwaise where I spent an hour negotiating just five kilometre of traffic jam. Once I broke clean from the jam, I made a swift journey to Gulu without a single bump. Surely, as an engineer, you must be able to come up with some solution to expand the road in Bwaise.
I noticed that some residents have constructed buildings right in the middle of the road! If you have not already done so, may I suggest that property assessments be carried out in places like Bwaise and Mukono with the view of compensating owners whose property border the road, and appropriating the same for road expansion. I know these compensations will cost Ugandans many arms and legs, but looking into the future, I cannot fathom fewer but many more automobiles.
Now, let me come to the real point for writing this letter, namely the indescribably bad state of the roads in Gulu, Amuru, Nwoya, Kitgum and Pader districts today. I could use any number of adjectives—abysmal, atrocious, chaotic, discouraging, murderous, and maddening and so forth—but none of them can begin to describe the conditions of these major roads.
Now, I understand that things are only just beginning to get back to normal after the long war in the north. Indeed, it is amazing how, with barely two years of complete peace, those formerly receiving food rations from the World Food Programme are now producing enough food to eat and to sell. But the roads are another matter altogether.
The distance from my father Mzee Alipayo Oloya’s compound in Pamin-Yai to the roundabout in the middle of Gulu town is exactly 12 miles, or 19.3 kilometres. In the old days, (1970s and early 1980s), it would take just under 14 minutes to travel the distance by car. Though it was a gravel road, it was very well maintained by what we used to call the “Pida†crew, a Luo version of the Public Works Department (PWD).
Fast forward to yesterday when I went to visit the old man who has now returned home from his long sojourn in Byeyale during the war. The same journey took me 45 minutes, and I was travelling in a very decent 4-wheel drive vehicle. The huge water-filled craters in the road would put to shame Ngorongoro volcanic craters in Tanzania. From Alokolum Seminary until you hit Anaka at the other end, the nightmare is unbelievable. In fact, even the fearless boda-bodas are afraid of traversing the road! Now, all would be forgivable if the bad road only extended as far as my father’s compound. Instead, the entire network of roads critical to development including the Gulu to Pakwach via Goma and Anaka road, Gulu to Amuru via Awer road, Amuru to Anaka road, Agago, Aruu and the list goes on. But the biggest crime to development must be the unmitigated delay in constructing the Gulu to Juba, and Gulu to Kitgum roads. And I have not even touched the road networks in Apac, Lira, Dokolo and Oyam. Despite many repeated talks of work beginning on them, the Gulu-Juba road which has become the most important trade nexus with southern Sudan is awfully dreadful.
I challenge you, Mr. Minister, to drive just 10km of this piece of junk road, and see how you feel at the end of the trip. Indeed, I know that there are plans to improve these roads. However, the near future is not soon enough. In the interim, rather than wait for the good days to come, Uganda National Roads Authority must step in immediately and maintain these roads.
Such upgrades will provide travellers with immediate relief, and I am confident, create better conditions for the people in northern Uganda, especially the Acholi and Lango hinterland to resettle faster after the damning war. What I am saying in plain English, Mr. Nasasira is this—get those roads fixed now.
Opiyo.oloya@sympatico.ca
Indeed, the latter was so bad that the journey took an extra hour. Often, I had to dodge potholes the size of ditches, rarely with success resulting in bone-jarring bumps throughout that journey. But, once in Uganda, the road practically drove the car. The only problem was the Mukono bottleneck which slowed everything to a maddening snail-pace.
As well, the Kampala-Gulu drive was very smooth, so smooth in fact that I had to be extra alert to avoid those speeding monster trucks that tend to thrive on good roads.
Again, here the problem seemed to be the tight squeeze at the beginning of the journey (or the end of it depending on the direction of travel) in Bwaise where I spent an hour negotiating just five kilometre of traffic jam. Once I broke clean from the jam, I made a swift journey to Gulu without a single bump. Surely, as an engineer, you must be able to come up with some solution to expand the road in Bwaise.
I noticed that some residents have constructed buildings right in the middle of the road! If you have not already done so, may I suggest that property assessments be carried out in places like Bwaise and Mukono with the view of compensating owners whose property border the road, and appropriating the same for road expansion. I know these compensations will cost Ugandans many arms and legs, but looking into the future, I cannot fathom fewer but many more automobiles.
Now, let me come to the real point for writing this letter, namely the indescribably bad state of the roads in Gulu, Amuru, Nwoya, Kitgum and Pader districts today. I could use any number of adjectives—abysmal, atrocious, chaotic, discouraging, murderous, and maddening and so forth—but none of them can begin to describe the conditions of these major roads.
Now, I understand that things are only just beginning to get back to normal after the long war in the north. Indeed, it is amazing how, with barely two years of complete peace, those formerly receiving food rations from the World Food Programme are now producing enough food to eat and to sell. But the roads are another matter altogether.
The distance from my father Mzee Alipayo Oloya’s compound in Pamin-Yai to the roundabout in the middle of Gulu town is exactly 12 miles, or 19.3 kilometres. In the old days, (1970s and early 1980s), it would take just under 14 minutes to travel the distance by car. Though it was a gravel road, it was very well maintained by what we used to call the “Pida†crew, a Luo version of the Public Works Department (PWD).
Fast forward to yesterday when I went to visit the old man who has now returned home from his long sojourn in Byeyale during the war. The same journey took me 45 minutes, and I was travelling in a very decent 4-wheel drive vehicle. The huge water-filled craters in the road would put to shame Ngorongoro volcanic craters in Tanzania. From Alokolum Seminary until you hit Anaka at the other end, the nightmare is unbelievable. In fact, even the fearless boda-bodas are afraid of traversing the road! Now, all would be forgivable if the bad road only extended as far as my father’s compound. Instead, the entire network of roads critical to development including the Gulu to Pakwach via Goma and Anaka road, Gulu to Amuru via Awer road, Amuru to Anaka road, Agago, Aruu and the list goes on. But the biggest crime to development must be the unmitigated delay in constructing the Gulu to Juba, and Gulu to Kitgum roads. And I have not even touched the road networks in Apac, Lira, Dokolo and Oyam. Despite many repeated talks of work beginning on them, the Gulu-Juba road which has become the most important trade nexus with southern Sudan is awfully dreadful.
I challenge you, Mr. Minister, to drive just 10km of this piece of junk road, and see how you feel at the end of the trip. Indeed, I know that there are plans to improve these roads. However, the near future is not soon enough. In the interim, rather than wait for the good days to come, Uganda National Roads Authority must step in immediately and maintain these roads.
Such upgrades will provide travellers with immediate relief, and I am confident, create better conditions for the people in northern Uganda, especially the Acholi and Lango hinterland to resettle faster after the damning war. What I am saying in plain English, Mr. Nasasira is this—get those roads fixed now.
Opiyo.oloya@sympatico.ca