Jinja: Jinja City leaders and locals are concerned with the state of the roads in the city which is worsening on daily.
The Busoga giant City which is a few Kilometers away from the Capital, Kampala and the country’s industrial City with the most tourist attractions is becoming ‘idiosyncratic’ following the untidy roads that have developed ‘creator lakes’ after serious potholes.
Narambai road, Clive road East, Gabula road, Tobacco road, Obojja road, Nile Avenue, Radio road among others are the worst whose potholes are turning into caves.
The city council deputy speaker, Sirina Kyakuwaire says the roads are in sorry states, seeking for immediate government intervention.
“Jinja City’s budget of shs.45b can’t cater for all the City activities including constructing roads and other infrastructure,” she added that the Government should expand the amount of money given to Jinja City. The city is very big as compared to the money it gets from government.
Kyakuwaire commends the Mafubira-Namulesa road in Northern division and Bell Avenue road which are under construction, saying it’s not enough according to the level and size of Jinja city.
Mafubira Northern division’s representative to the city council, Ivan Kameze argued that, given the role of leaders to supervise government projects, the leaders have implemented it, however they can’t supervise what is not in place.
“As a leader, am meant to supervise the projects of government but if the government tells you there’s no money, then what do we have to do as leaders?” Kameze asked.
He added that, “seriously there’s some little funds which come from the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development (USMID), and you can find that even the few roads which are meant to catered for can’t get the opportunity.”
Western division constituency Councilor, Juliet Kadama, said some USMID projects in the city have been interfered by day and night rains which make it impossible to construct road(s) but believes that this 2023/4 financial year, there be a bigger change on city roads.
“I ask Government to provide us with more funds however small it is, we should use as intended. Sometimes we (leaders) divert money to other programs but this time we have to emphasize on roads,” Kadama noted.
However, the Southern division East councilor, Richard Mbazira, who is a member on the City’s works committee, asked for immediate government action about the matter.
“We are appealing to President Museveni that currently you can’t convince any tourists to come and visit Jinja. Roads are becoming rivers and a special program therefore is needed,” said Mbazira.
He said that, “we know there is scarcity and the economy is actually not good but roads have become roads. We need a special attention from our government, otherwise investors are going to abandon our City.”
