Give us sustainability plan for roads, Usmid tells Masaka

An official from the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development (Usmid) project has advised the Masaka City leadership to develop a sustainability plan for new roads and street lights in the city. 

Ms Hilda Mwesigwa, the team leader of Programme Technical Committee (PTC) of the World Bank-funded Usmid project, said some of the beneficiary municipalities and cities have started losing good infrastructure due to lack of a proper maintenance plan. 

“The rate at which the infrastructure in new cities is breaking down is worrying. Authorities need to come up with clear suitability plans because it is their mandate,” she said during an impromptu visit to Masaka City to assess the progress of the ongoing Usmid projects on Tuesday.

Ms Mwesigwa was responding to concerns raised by the Masaka City Development Forum president, Mr Vincent Kasumba, who said many cities are grappling with the challenge of vandalism of street lights and other road infrastructure such as road signs.

In Masaka, for example, some of the roads constructed under Usmid in 2015 have clogged drainage systems, causing flooding in some areas while some solar-powered street lights are nonfunctional.  On Yellow Knife Road, one of the first streets to get solar powered street lights, four out of 10 solar lights are no longer working.   

Out of the 23 solar lamps on Edward Avenue, 22 are faulty, including one near Masaka City hall.

Ms Mwesigwa   advised the city authorities to put up stringent measures with deterrent punishments to prevent further damage and theft of street lights.  

“I also implore you to ensure that there is timely completion of the ongoing projects since the USMID project is closing by the end of December,” she said. 

In 2021, an additional Shs60b from the World Bank was allocated to Masaka City to facilitate construction of seven roads in the area including Baines Terrace, Birch Avenue, Alexander Road, Hill Road, Circular Rise Road, and Elgin Street. The project equally covers the lighting of many new roads and towns on major highways entering the city. 

Mr Augustus Turibarungi, the Masaka City engineer, said they still owe the contractor, China Wu YI Co Ltd, Shs1.7 billion and urged the government to release the funds as soon as possible. 

“We are hesitant to push [the contractor] to complete his work because he is still demanding money,” he said.
The Masaka City acting deputy clerk, Ms Sarah Nandawula, said they have already come up with a budget to repair the vandalised infrastructure. 

“We have earmarked some Shs150m for their maintenance. We shall also come up with a clear plan to sustain all completed infrastructural developments,” she said.

Sub Editor: Eva Kyomugisha