Jinja City starts repairing roads
Construction works on Clive Road West and Clerk Road, stretching about 1.89kms. PHOTO | DENIS EDEMA
What you need to know:
- Mr Peter Okocha Kasolo, the Jinja City mayor, said they are currently rehabilitating five major roads at Shs16b.
Residents and the business community in Jinja are excited by the ongoing works on five major roads within the city.
They said the rehabilitation of the roads will boost business upon completion.
Mr Peter Okocha Kasolo, the Jinja City mayor, said they are currently rehabilitating five major roads at Shs16b.
He said the project is being funded by the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development (USMID).
The roads include Clive Road and Clerk Road (1.89kms), Bell Avenue East and West (1.446kms), completion of Busoga Avenue (0.75kms), traffic signalling, and drainage works (1.782kms).
Construction is being undertaken by Zhongmei Engineering Group Ltd.
“Under my leadership, I promised the people of Jinja good service delivery that can only succeed with good infrastructural developments like roads and buildings which the council is working on,” Mr Kasolo said in an interview at the weekend.
Mr Benedict Akena, a businessman on Clive Road East, said he is excited that Jinja City has ‘woken up’ and started rehabilitating some of the roads.
“When it rains, customers avoid using the road being a one-way, while some of my colleagues have shifted their businesses to other streets where the roads are good and with parking,” he said.
Mr Charles Balondemu, who operates a barber shop, said the rehabilitation of some of the roads in the city will attract more customers and boost business.
Most road users struggle to manoeuvre through some of the roads, including Oboja, Ripon East, Lubas, Spire, Clive, Aldina, Naranbhai, and Obote Way among others, especially when it rains, which affected traffic flow and reportedly damaged their vehicles.
Mr Johnson Batambuze, a boda boda rider, said his motorcycle often breaks down because of the potholes on the city roads.
Mr Nawada Hatip, a taxi driver, said: “The roads are so bad that one has to be in the garage all the time.”
Mr Rajab Kitto, the city’s public relations officer, attributed the problem to funding challenges, saying most of the road funds are controlled by the central government, adding that most of the roads have outlived their lifespan.
According to Mr Kitto, Jinja is currently depending on the World Bank-funded USMID Programme to rehabilitate a few roads, adding that USMID has developed about 15 percent of road networks in the city.
