Govt asked to consider tarmacking roads in north Karamoja

Kotido, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Elders in Kotido district, under their umbrella, Kotido Elders Council, have appealed to the government to consider tarmacking the road networks to improve service delivery.

The roads include Moroto-Kotido, Soroti-Amuria- Otuke- Abim-Kotido-Kaabong connecting to Karenga district. The roads are in a poor state and impassable, making the movements a nightmare following the torrential rains that have been pounding the region.

The roads are characterised by potholes, single lane murram carriage, broken bridges and muddy due to poor soil texture.

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, while on his tours in the region, has often pledged to tarmac Moroto-Kotido-Kaabong to Karenga, but it has not been materialised.

John Bosco Akore, the secretary for Kotido Elders Council, demanded that the government consider fulfilling the pledge of tarmacking the roads in the Northern Karamoja to ease transportation.

Akore cited that the roads, such as Moroto –Kotido, Panyangara bridge, are in a poor state and have caused damage and loss of lives to travellers. He said that the Panyangara Bridge collapsed in the middle of the road, and it has caused several accidents, especially among cyclists.

Akore said that another road that connects Nakapelimoru to Patongor to Moroto road through Panyangara is impassable.

Akore said that the armed warriors have also taken advantage of the dangerous spots on the roads to ambush the travellers. He reiterated that the government should tarmac the roads that connect district to district if they cannot maintain the internal roads.

Akore said that the tarmac roads would help them overcome the issues of ambushes and robberies that armed warriors often carry out from the hotspot areas.

Akore wondered why the government had never paid attention to the roads in Karamoja, yet every financial year, there is a package meant for road works.

Akore rallied the communities to rise and demand better services from the government and not to suffer in silence. He added that if things do not work out, then they shall be forced to drag the government to court for failing to provide better roads that have caused loss of lives.

He also appealed to the Inspectorate of Government to intervene in and verify how the road funds are being utilised in the Karamoja sub-region. He added that a few individuals are taking advantage of the security situation in the region to loot the money meant for service delivery.

The district roads, which were recently rehabilitated under the Uganda Road Fund project,t where each district and municipality received of the shs 1 billion for road maintenance, have also collapsed due to heavy rains.

Godfrey Pulkol, Kaabong youth councillor, said that the roads are in a bad situation, and it has greatly affected the transport system and the businesses.

Pulkol noted that the road connecting Kopoth to Kotido is cut off completely, while from Kaabong town to Kalapa Sub-County is also on the verge of collapsing.

He said that other roads, such as Kaabong to Kathile connecting to the Karenga district, are also in poor condition, and sometimes travellers are forced to spend a night on the way when it rains.

Pulkol said that there are some community access roads which they presented to the council to be considered for grading, but time caught them up, and now everyone is busy with politics.

Pulkol said that the roads are now used for campaigns as politicians incorporate them into their manifestos. He said that the roads were mainly those that helped them navigate around the villages.

Pulkol said that they are now stuck and the government should consider coming in for their rescue and work on the major roads to improve the service deliveries.

However, the burden of the terrain did not spare the security roads, which were also recently constructed. For instance, security roads such as Sinyu-Kobebe-Kotein and Loyoro-Lopedo- Kaabong have had some parts washed away and much more slippery.

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