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Motorists abandon part of Jinja–Kampala Highway over potholes
Motorists from the Jinja City side using a devastated lane at Njeru on the the Jinja-Kampala Highway on March 16, 2024. PHOTO/DENIS EDEMA
Motorists using the Jinja-Kampala Highway have abandoned a section of the road near the Nile Bridge in Njeru Municipality in Buikwe District over deep potholes.
The potholed area is between Mbiko, Nakibizzi ,Kitogoma, Mabira Forest, Lugazi, and motorists want it fixed saying their “vehicles get damaged every day in addition to spending a lot of time on the road.”
“The deplorable state of the section of the road is holding back Uganda’s economic growth and also hampering regional trade,” Godfrey Kisekwa, the chairperson of drivers in Njeru Municipality told Monitor on Sunday.
He said they have raised this problem with the leadership of Njeru Municipality since 2023 but authorities told them “it was Uganda National Roads Authority’s (Unra) responsibility to fix the road.”
Unra spokesperson Allan Ssembebwa said he needed more time to first get facts about the state of the road between Mbiko and Lugazi from their team in the area.
“Please allow me time to first get information from our engineers why the road is cracking, and I will base on that to advise the motorists,” he noted.
The poor state of the road in mention has forced some motorists going to Jinja to use the Njeru -Nyenga-Katosi Road to connect to Mukono while others are using the Mukono –Kayunga-Njeru Road.
Mazamiru Ssentongo, a long -distance hauler, plying the Mombasa -Uganda –DR Congo route, said the damaged section of the road not only causes frustration to motorists but also poses a threat to road safety.
“It is a shame to see vehicles with red number plates dodging the damaged lane and crossing to another meant for vehicles coming from the Kampala side,” he observed.
Peter Kirigeya, the chairperson of conductors at Nile -Njeru Stage decried rampant accidents on the road.
“We have been experiencing serious accidents here for the last three years because of those potholes. Motorists especially from the Jinja side cross to the lane meant for vehicles coming from Kampala which is dangerous,” he explained.
Jinja-Kampala Highway is an essential transportation artery connecting Uganda’s capital to the eastern part of the country.
It also leads to two border points, Busia and Malaba, which Uganda relies on for import and export transportation through Mombasa Port in Kenya.
To express their displeasure with the poor state of the road, residents along the highway especially between Lugazi and Mbiko have persistently protested by sometimes blocking the usually busy road over what they call “government inaction.”
