Bad road killing trade in Katakwi

BAD ROADS KATAKWI TRANSPORT

Residents of Katakwi district have expressed anger over failure by local government and central government officials to repair roads in the district.

Among the roads in a bad state is the one connects the sub-counties of Toroma and Magoro and that leads Palama sub-county to district headquarters.

Simon Peter Omal, a resident of Pakwi village in Palama sub-county, said the roads are full of potholes.

He stated that the number of small broken bridges is increasing and the sub-county leadership has not been able to offer support.

“The hardships they experience are enormous as most of them could not carry on with their economic activities owing to the bad state of the road,” Omal said.

According to him, motorists are forced to spend several hours maneuvoering through potholes and slippery roads.

Today, a journey from Palama, sub-county, to the district headquarters via Olupe takes travelers more than two hours because the entire road is full with potholes, yet it would have taken less than 45 minutes if the road was good.

Mary Margrate Apolot a business woman from Oongora village in Magoro sub-county said that transporters have also increased fares.

‘Transporting of goods using a truck from Magoro to Ocorimong used to cost sh5,000, but it has now increased to a range of sh7,000 due to the poor state of the roads,” she said.

Apolot also added that passenger vehicles who used to charge sh5,000 are now charging between sh8,000 and sh10, 000, saying the bad state of the roads make them incur higher vehicle repair costs.

Joseph Opus, a businessman says the Government has neglected to them by deliberately refusing to recognise the fact that they need social amenities such as good roads in rural areas.

“The roads are really an eyesore. It is something that is better imagined than seen. For us in the village, government has failed to realize that we also deserve social amenities like those who are living in the city centres,” he said

Walter Elakas Okiring, the LC5 chairperson Katakwi acknowledged that the issue of poor state of roads is a national issue not only Katakwi district.

He added that as a district they are trying their best to improve on the road network using meager resources.

According to Elakas, a road connecting Palama sub-county to Katakwi-Moroto High Way will be worked on this financial year, while works are underway on Magoro-Toroma road by Heaat general engineers and constructors Ltd.