VP Alupo warns public against vandalising road infrastructure
Vice President Jessica Alupo, assisted by Works state minister Mr Musa Ecweru, cuts the ribbon as she officially opened the Kampala Northern Bypass Expansion project on Sunday. PHOTO /Michael Kakumirizi
What you need to know:
- The European Union ambassador H.E Attillio Pacifici said had supported Uganda’s transport sector with grants amounting to approximately EUR 800 million (about Shs3 trillion) over the last 35 years.
The Vice President, Maj (Rtd) Jessica Alupo, has warned the public against vandalising the government road infrastructure projects especially when the projects are ready for use.
She made these remarks on Sunday as she commissioned the second phase of the Kampala Northern bypass road, a major high way part of the northern corridor route that links Uganda, DR Congo, Burundi, Rwanda and South Sudan to the port of Mombasa.
Ms Alupo said that the European Union had earlier informed her about the vandalism of the road infrastructure and therefore requested local leaders to join hands and sensitize communities about negative uses of the road infrastructure especially the completed projects; to point out the sections of the law and let them know that it’s criminal to vandalise or damage the road or other infrastructure.
She noted that the project started in 2004 but the contractor, Mota-Engil, was provided with 100 percent access to the site in September 2019.
“After acquiring resources, which are meant to be invested on infrastructural projects, there should be no delays whatsoever because of the reasons associated with land where the project is going to be implemented. We lose approximately $27 million every year because of the delay in agreeing and securing land for infrastructural development which magnates the journey of development,” she said.
The Vice President also commended the European Union for supporting Uganda’s road infrastructure and said that, ”the government of Uganda thanks the European Union for providing the financial support towards the development of the critical infrastructure aimed at accelerating the social economic transformation of Uganda and the East African region at large.”
The European Union ambassador H.E Attillio Pacifici said had supported Uganda’s transport sector with grants amounting to approximately EUR 800 million (about Shs3 trillion) over the last 35 years.
“This support has taken the form of many investments in hard infrastructure like Kampala Northern bypass as well as institutional capacity building and continuous policy dialogue,” he said.
The function that took place at Hoima interchange junction in Lubijji was also attended by the Minister of state Works and Transport Hon Musa Echweru, Minister of state Kampala metropolitan affairs Mr Kabuye Kyofatogabye, Executive Director KCCA Ms Dorothy Kisaka, Executive Director Uganda National Roads Authority (Unra) Ms Allen Kagina, ambassador European Union among others.
About the project
The second phase of Kampala Northern by pass road project commenced in July 2014 and was financed through a EUR 40 million grant from the European Union and EUR 7.2 million concessional loan from the European Investment Bank along with government of Uganda funding to the tune of EUR 124.7 million. Of this, EUR 129.9 million was devoted towards the works construction, EUR 11.53 million for supervision and EUR 30 million for land acquisition.
