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Kitgum, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The absence of road maintenance equipment is to blame for the poor transport network in Kitgum Municipality, the Mayor Walter Livingston Tooroma has revealed.
According to Tooroma, they are unable to carry out periodic road maintenance and planned opening of roads in the peri-urban areas in Pandwong and Pager divisions due to lack of equipment.
Tooroma says despite securing permission to borrow road equipment from the district, the municipality has failed to effectively utilize the road units due to bureaucracies and additional costs involved.
In 2017, the government donated road equipment including a grader, wheel loader, roller, a water bowser and two dump trucks to all districts across the country to help with road maintenance works.
Tooroma says their effort to use the equipment from the district is bogged down because the district works department has ongoing works.
Tooroma is now wants the local government ministry to consider distributing similar road equipment to all urban authorities to cater for their road maintenance works.
Alexis Abonga, the Engineer in charge of constructions at Kitgum municipality, says the situation is compounded by inconsistent remittance of funds and the dwindling funding from the central government for road maintenance.
Eng. Abonga says this financial year government halted the release of road maintenance funds leaving them without any option but to decentralize all road maintenance activities to the division authorities.
During a recent visit to Kitgum, the Local Government State Minister, Jennifer Namuyangu pledged the government’s commitment to secure additional support and donation of road units from the Japanese government.
The engagement according to minister Namuyangu follows dire demand for road equipment by the newly created urban administrative units including cities and municipalities in the country.
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