Karuma bridge closure: Travellers endure long queues at Masindi port 

Travellers have been forced to endure long queues at Masindi Port in Western Uganda as they jostle to catch ferries to the country’s capital Kampala following the total closure of Karuma Bridge currently under repair.
 
The situation has been exacerbated by the recent flooding of the Nakasongola to Zengebe road, which is one of the alternative routes recommended by the Ministry of Works and Transport after the closure of the bridge.
 
Dr Morris Chris Ongom, the director of Uganda National Chamber of Commerce and Industries for Lango, said the flooding has made the road impassable, severely disrupting supply chains and affecting the timely delivery of goods to and from the Lango Sub-region. 
 
“The compounded effect of these challenges is impacting the livelihood of many and stalling the progress of businesses that rely heavily on these transport routes. The cost of doing business in such an environment has quadrupled and this impacts negatively on the businesses that mostly rely on bank loans,” he informed the executive director of Uganda National Roads Authority (Unra), Ms Allen Kagina, in a letter dated August 3, 2024.

 
“In light of these circumstances, we humbly request for your urgent consideration to allocate some resources to address the flooding issues on the Nakasongola to Zengebe road. Immediate intervention to open and maintain this vital access road would greatly alleviate the current transportation challenges, ensuring that business activities can continue smoothly in the Lango Sub-region despite the ongoing closure of Karuma Bridge,” Dr Ongom appealed.
 
After that communication, the Uganda road agency added a second ferry at Masindi Port to ease transport to northern Uganda ahead of the closure of the 61-year-old bridge.
 
Mr Allan Ssempebwa, the Unra media relations manager, said the new ferry would boost traffic management and prevent inconveniences for travellers. 
 
However, road users say the alternative route has introduced long waits at Masindi Port, increased journey times plus-related transport costs. 
 
An assessment conducted by the North Kyoga regional traffic office on September 23, 2024 indicates that the ferries at Masindi Port have no capacity to transport more than seven vehicles.
 

“Because of the high demand, they (ferries) will be forced now to work beyond their capacity and that will pose a very big risk to the lives of the occupants,” Mr David Kennedy Odongo, the chairman of all district chairpersons and mayors in Lango.
 
Mr Odongo, who is the Alebtong LC5 chairman, suggested that local government leaders from Lango needed to have an urgent visit to Namasale Landing Site in Amolatar and Masindi Port to assess how many vehicles are moving along those routes vis-à-vis their tonnages and the capacity of the ferries.

 
“I am tempted to think that if we are not careful at one time we are going to lose so many lives just because of not taking precautions. We also need to put an alert to MPs to take this one as a matter of national importance such that they take an urgent step by deliberating on this issue and making a quick call to international partners like the World Bank to ensure that we have the ferries that can withstand the heavy traffic along those routes. In the meantime that they’re repairing Karuma Bridge,” Mr Odongo told this publication on Tuesday.