3,160km of roads tarmacked since 1962

By Abdulkarim Ssengendo

Uganda’s road sector has grown tremendously after independence, with over 4,000km of tarmac roads compared to just 844km during the colonial era, John Byabagambi, the works state minister, has said.

Byabagambi noted that the colonialists were only interested building roads to areas, where they could get raw materials and not to open the country for economic development.

He added that when Uganda got her independence, the Government embarked on a massive infrastructure that brought development.

He explained that vigorous construction of roads started during Obote I, when roads like the Mbarara-Kabale and Mbarara-Bushenyi road were made.

He added that by the time Obote was toppled by Idi Amin in 1971, Uganda had about 1,200km of the tarmac roads.

“In nine years, Obote had constructed about 50% of the roads, which were left by the British colonialists who had ruled us for over 60 years,” Byabagambi said.

He said with the coming of National Resistance Movement government 26 years ago, over 2,800km of the roads have been upgraded, bringing the total length of paved roads to 4,000km to date.