Business resumes in Karuma town after reopening of bridge

Kiryandongo, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The reopening of Karuma Bridge, a major link between the Central and Northern Uganda has brought back life to the businesses in Karuma trading center, Karuma Town Council, in Kiryandongo District.

The government closed Karuma bridge in September to facilitate rehabilitation works on major components of the bridge which had worn out and compromising traffic safety. The closure brought small and big businesses at the once vibrant Karuma Trading Center that depended on the transportation business along the busy Kampala-Gulu highway to their knees.

However, on Friday, there was jubilation among the business community at the Trading center as the State Minister for Works and Transport Musa Ecweru officially reopened the bridge to light traffic. This was after three months of rehabilitation works on the bridge.

Isiah Omirambe, a mechanic at Karuma Trading Center told Uganda Radio Network Friday that the closure of the bridge to traffic greatly impacted on his business which forced him to relocate to the village.

Omirambe said for the past three months, he had no work to do within the trading center and thus couldn’t afford to pay for his children’s school fees and afford basic needs for the family.

“The reopening of the bridge is a miracle for me today. I had lost hopes but now I believe all will be well because I now have where to start earning from,” said Omirambe.

Alice Nyamujumbi, a businesswoman who runs a restaurant business in Karuma trading center equally says the past three months has been a challenge for her business due to no customers.

Nyamujumbi said the reopening of the bridge brings a ray of life for her business and lauded the government for its promises to reopen the bridge on time.

Representatives of the business leaders in Karuma, and Bweyale town councils have since called on the government to bail out some of the businesspersons whose businesses were greatly affected by the closure of the bridge.

During a meeting held after the commissioning of the bridge at Karuma Town Council, Ecweru highlighted the proposals of the business community for recovery support through their Saving and credit association (Sacco).

Ecweru said he will present the proposals of the business community in parliament and called for support from the government.

Norbert Mao, the Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs however noted that the government will consider the proposal of the business community after the advice of the attorney General.

Several trading centers along the busy Kampala Highway are dependent on the transportation businesses through the connectivity on Karuma bridge. Some of the towns affected by the closure of the bridge included Bweyale in Kryandongo and Kamdini in Oyam district.

The government expects heavy traffic to resume on the Karuma bridge by February 15 once the expansion joints currently on transit from China arrives in the country.

Engineers who oversaw the rehabilitation works on the 61-year-old Karuma bridge on Friday noted that at least 95 percent of the major remedial works on Karuma bridge had been completed. Key structures which had worn out and had been replaced included the bearings, and the deck while auxiliary works such as lightings, guard rails, asphalt and parapet walls.

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