Govt delivers bridge 15 years after pledge
Ajeleik bridge, which has undergone rehabilitation and is due for official commissioning. PHOTO/SIMON PETER EMWAMU
What you need to know:
- The bridge had been earmarked for repair under the rehabilitation plan for Teso Sub-region, which had been hit by floods in 2007.
The government has completed the construction of Ajeleik Bridge, which connects Kapelebyong and Katakwi districts, 15 years after making the pledge.
The bridge had been earmarked for repair under the rehabilitation plan for the whole of Teso Sub-region, which had been hit by floods in 2007.
But since then, the damaged bridge, which is a major link between the two districts, had not been worked on, hence becoming a death trap for road users, especially during times of flooding.
The Kapelebyong District chairperson, Mr Francis Akorikin, welcomed the completion of the bridge.
“We are happy, people will resume moving over the bridge without fear of drowning during the time of floods like it has been in the past,” he said in an interview on Tuesday.
Mr Akorikin added that the completion of the Shs8.9b bridge had been delayed by poor funding, adding that construction works had been switched between three different contractors.
He said the bridge will be ready for commissioning next month.
Ajeleik Bridge was swept off by the floods of 2007, which claimed many lives.
Residents claim that the makeshift bridge has since killed close to 15 people.
Mr Geoffrey Omolo, the Katakwi District chairperson, said the completion of the bridge was long overdue, saying that it had made transport in the area difficult.
Ms Grace Akello, a resident of Ajeleik Parish in Acowa Sub-county, said the completion of the bridge is a relief, especially during the times of heavy rain when Ajeleik stream is flooded.
“Mr Musa Ecweru, the State minister for Works has frequently visited and supervised the construction works; now we are seeing the works coming to an end,” she said.
Ms Akello said during the 2007 floods, the bridge killed seven people. In the subsequent years of flooding, she said the makeshift bridge has claimed many lives, with the most recent being a drunken man who was attempting to cross at night.
The bigger picture
Many roads and bridges in Teso Sub-region have been in a poor state largely due to flooding and underfunding.
Most of the bridges in Katakwi, Kapelebyong, Kalaki and Bukedea districts were weakened at the peak of floods that hit the sub-region in 2019.
At the height of erosion of several bridges across the country by heavy rain, the government allocated more than Sh500b to have them fixed. But most of those in the sub-region have remained in a poor state.
