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Residents fundraise to fix broken bridge
Residents stand near a section of a collapsed bridge on Namasagali in Naava Village in Njeru Town Council, Buikwe District, on Wednesday. Part of the bridge collapsed on December 20,2023 after downpour. PHOTO/GODFREY MASIKO
What you need to know:
The locals in Naava Village, Buikwe District, want to raise at least Shs600,000 to erect a temporary bridge
A section of residents at Naava Road Village in Njeru Municipal Council, Buikwe District, has resorted to a home-to-home fundraising campaign for a damaged bridge at Namasagali Road after leaders reportedly failed to take action.
The residents claim that while a temporary bridge fixed using eucalyptus poles would not be the best solution because of the many risks, they need to connect to the other roads and possibly reduce the risk of accidents at the Namasagali Road bridge section.
“We have already registered cases where our children have been injured as they attempt to go through the broken section of the bridge. This road connects to St Stephen’s Church of Uganda, among other institutions. The bridge caved in three weeks ago. We have now started a campaign to raise money for the eucalyptus tree poles for a temporary bridge,” Mr Edward Gizamba Masaba, a resident, said on Wednesday.
Ms Sarah Nabagala, a resident of Naava Village and a member of the fundraising committee for the temporary bridge, claimed residents had earlier hoped to raise at least Shs600,000 for the purchase of eucalyptus tree poles but they are yet to get the money.
“Our efforts to fundraise for the temporary bridge construction are yet to yield fruit. We shall need more money to have the poles transported among other expenses. We call upon our leaders to come to our rescue because motorists cannot access the main road to Njeru Town from Naava Village,” she said.
But Mr Ali Waisswa, the Naava Village chairperson in Njeru Town Council, on Wednesday told Daily Monitor that residents have temporarily halted the plans of constructing the temporary bridge after failing to get technical help from the Njeru Municipal Council officials.
“We got information that we would be held responsible for any accident resulting from the temporary bridge that we had hoped to construct. The municipal officials have failed to advise us on how to build the temporary bridge. This is the main reason why we are temporarily halting the construction plans by the residents,” he said.
Mr Henry Ssenyonga, Njeru Municipal Councillor representing Kasanja and Naava villages, said the matter concerning the broken bridge on Namasagali Road was brought to the attention of the authorities on December 22, 2023.
“The residents noticed the big cracks and notified the leaders shortly before the bridge caved in on December 20, 2023. I took the initiative to inform the concerned authorities for immediate attention on December 23, 2023. We are lobbying for a permanent bridge. The municipality can use part of the Shs1 billion road fund allocation to fix the problem,” he said.
However, Mr John Busiku, the Njeru Municipal Council spokesperson, on Wednesday said: “We ask the residents to halt plans of constructing a temporary bridge that would possibly risk lives crossing the temporary bridge. We appeal to the resident to remain calm since the issue regarding the collapsed bridge on Namasagali Road is being handled.”
Mr Busiku added: “The section requires equipment including culverts as part of the appropriate designs that were not in the original budget for the road sector. So it will need major interventions and we have informed the Ministry of Works and Transport.’’
