The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kabale, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | President Yoweri Museveni will miss the opportunity to see the true state Kabale’s key road, Bwankosa Road, this Saturday during his campaign visit because the district authorities have hurriedly mobilized equipment and manpower to fix it, temporarily disguising the gaping potholes starting Friday evening after its being neglected for many years.
The pitiful 1.7 Kilometer road that has for years been a series of dangerous potholes connects Kabale shopping Centre that is commonly known as Mukicollegi, Kabale Owino market, Kabale main garage, Kabale main stadium, Kabale main abattoir, Christ the King Parish Church to Nyerere Avenue in the Central Division of Kabale Municipality.
The road has been in a sorry state as hasn’t been maintained since it was constructed in 1996 and has been filled with deep potholes, which are filled with stormwater whenever it rains and heaps of mud form along the road making it almost impassable vehicular traffic. But, today after close of business at around 5:30 PM, authorities led by Patrick Besigye Keihwa, Kabale district LC5 chairman and Sam Arineitwe, Central Division LC3 chairman rushed to the road and started commandeering roadwork equipment drivers to start repairing the road
Our reporter reached the place and found drivers of grader registration number, LG0001-121, road roller registration number UG2705W a water truck registration number UG2663W and a tipper truck registration number LG0018-13 busy repairing by grading the road and filling potholes, pouring water and compacting marram.
Police officers attached to Kabale police station but wearing civilian attire and Uganda People Defense Forces (UPDF) soldiers attached to Special Forces Command were also seen supervising the works.
One of the drivers told our reporter on condition of anonymity that they only received an order at the end of the working day from above to rush and starting workin on the road without any orderly form of plan whatsoever.
When asked, Keihwa says that they are only working on the road as a culture of the Bakiga to clean up whenever a visitor is coming to a home. Keihwa, however, says that the works are just temporary since the road is programmed to be re-tarmacked soon under Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development (USMID) Program.
When asked if this is aimed at favouring Museveni as a candidate since he is in Kabale to campaign but not on official duty, Keihwa says that however much Museveni is a presidential candidate, he is still the incumbent President who gets more benefits than other candidates.
Arineitwe says that they have rushed to work on the road after receiving some changes today afternoon that Museveni will meet leaders from Kabale, Rubanda and Rukiga from Kabale municipal stadium instead of Kigezi College Butobere premises where they had prepared.
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