Residents decry poor state of road
A bus manoeuvres through a pot hole riddled section of the Karuma-Olwiyo-Pakwach-Nebbi-Arua road. PHOTO/FELIX WAROM OKELLO
What you need to know:
- The road connects the rest of the country to districts of West Nile and neighbouring countries Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan.
West Nile residents have decried the poor state of the 214km Karuma-Olwiyo-Pakwach-Nebbi-Arua road.
Mr Denis Opio, a regular traveller, at the weekend said: “Even the Sub-county roads that are murram are better. This is an international road where a lot of taxes are generated. We need a new road.” Mr Saddam Ali, a driver who plies the route, said: “There have been head-on collisions on this road because we always try to dodge the big potholes. Sometimes, you get off road.”
The Arua City mayor, Mr Sam Nyakua, said: “This road fetches revenue for the government, but many people don’t feel like travelling on it.”
In May, the director of Uganda National Roads Authority (Unra), Ms Allen Kagina, said they had contracted China Communications Construction Company Uganda Ltd, to carry out repairs on Olwiyo-Pakwach Road.
“Following the deterioration of sections of Olwiyo-Pakwach road, a contractor has been engaged to undertake urgent remedial works to ensure smooth traffic flow,” she said. However, a process to secure a contractor for the major rehabilitation of the road is still ongoing, according to Unra.
The road connects the rest of the country to districts of West Nile and neighbouring countries Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. Between 2019 to 2020, Unra carried out rehabilitation of 62.5Kms from Olwiyo to Pakwach, 43.5 km from Karuma to Olwiyo and 33km stretch from Nebbi to Alwi. But the rehabilitated sections are now in a deplorable state.
