People get stuck at a collapsed bridge in Karambi sub county, Kabarole district in 2010. Photo by Felix basiime
By JOSEPH MUGISA
& FELIX BASIIME
Posted Sunday, June 3 2012 at 00:00
Posted Sunday, June 3 2012 at 00:00
According to the district chairman, Mr Richard Rwabuhinga, loamy and collapsing soils have made it impossible for engineers to build strong feeder roads and bridges in the district.
“The poor state of roads in the district is making it difficult for the leaders to effectively implement government programmes and reduce on the persistent poverty in the remote rural areas,” Mr Rwabuhinga said.
Mr Rwabuhinga said during rainy seasons, some villages are cut off from each other after roads and bridges have been washed away. The Chief Administrative Officer, Mr Juma Nyende, said the district has been losing billions of money spent on constructing roads and bridges without any lasting solution.
“As a district we have asked the central government to consider us differently than other districts when allocating funds for constructing roads and bridges in districts,” Mr Nyende said.
The district has about 250km of feeder roads and the central government allocates only Shs483 million annually for roads and bridges. The officials are, however, demanding that the money allocated to roads be increased, arguing that the money allocated can only be used to murram a 20-km road. The district needs more than Shs6 billion to contruct good roads and at least Shs10 billion to construct bridges.
At the moment, engineers in Kabarole collect murram from neighbouring districts when constructing roads. Apparently, the topography of the district is also affecting developments in the health and education sectors.
Areas east of the district like Rwimi, Kabonero, Katebwa, Bukuuku, Kicwamba and Kasenda and parts of Hakibale sub-counties have lacked schools and health centres for a long time as constructors hired to build the centres or roads abandon the job.
editorial@ug.nationmedia.com
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