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Road users at risk as falling sugarcanes block Ssezibwa Bridge
A section of Ssezibwa Bridge with a pile of sugarcanes on December 8. PHOTO/FRED MUZAALE
What you need to know:
- Sugarcane falls off transporting trucks from Bbaale in Kayunga District to VSL Sugar Company in Luweero District.
Lives of road users on the Kayunga-Mukono Highway have their lives endangered by falling sugarcanes from overloaded trucks that pile at Ssezibwa Bridge and barricade the road.
“The risk to the road users is especially at night when the visibility is poor as they can be bumped into, leading to loss of lives,” Acting Kayunga District LC 5 chairman, Mr Joel Kayiira said.
Sugarcane falls off transporting trucks from Bbaale in Kayunga District to VSL Sugar Company in Luweero District.
According to Mr Kayiira, they pile and make the road difficult for motorists to navigate past the close to 50 feet 60-year-old bridge.
Mr Yasiin Muwonge, a taxi driver on the Kayunga- Mukono highway says this delays their journeys for over 30 minutes.
“Something should be done urgently otherwise the bridge is now a death trap and we shall lose lives because some road users who don’t know this spot will bump into the cane or will break instantly and the vehicle would plunge into the river,” Mr Muwonge warned Thursday.
About 200 meters from the bridge is a regular road block manned by police.
A police officer attached to Kayunga police who preferred anonymity said: “We have nothing to do as the sugar cane trucks belong to powerful people in government. Even truck drivers have refused to heed to our call.”
However, Mr Allan Ssempebwa the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) communications manager said they intend to deploy their enforcement officers to crack down on errant sugarcane truck drivers.
“We have made several warnings to the drivers of these vehicles, including proprietors of sugar factories. We may now have to invoke other punitive measures,” Mr Ssempebwa said.
