Minister Bahati irked by delay of ferry on Lake Bunyonyi

Kabale, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | State Minister for Trade David Bahati has expressed dissatisfaction with the Uganda Nationals Roads Authority (UNRA)’s timeline for the establishment of ferry services at Lake Bunyonyi. He is equally disturbed that the agency will take much longer to tarmac the Kabale-Lake Bunyonyi and Muko-Katuna roads.

The much-awaited establishment of ferry services at Lake Bunyonyi and the proposed upgrade of the 15-kilometre Kabale-Bunyonyi and 60-kilometer Muko-Katuna roads were pledges made by President Yoweri Museveni during campaigns that preceded the 2016 general election. However, they are yet to be fulfilled.

On Friday,  UNRA officials led by Engineer Joseph Otim, the Director of Road Maintenance, Hebert Mutyaba, UNRA’s head of Ferry Services, and Devis Muhwezi, the Manager in charge of preparations for the construction of Kabale-Lake Bunyonyi and Muko-Katuna roads undertook a survey in Kabale and Rubanda districts; the areas where the projects will be implemented.

During the survey on Friday, UNRA presented a report indicating that the government needs 450 billion Shilling after annexing another 38-kilometres of the Heisesero-Kacwekano-Ryakarimira to the Muko-Katuna road as well as, Kasheregyenyi-Kamuganguzi and Mukyitengye-Kekubo stretches in Ndorwa west county.

The team also announced that UNRA was yet to get a contractor for the roads and the construction of the ferry. According to UNRA, the procurement evaluation and contract signature process which started this month will run until June next year, while the design review and regulatory approvals will run from June 2022-June 2023. The timeline also shows that the construction of the ferry will start in June 2023 and run until September 2024. Tarmacking of the roads will take 36 months.

But, Bahati questioned why it took this long for UNRA to embark on the process and asked UNRA to review the timeline so that works start in the shortest possible time. According to Bahati, such delays affect the public trust in the government.

Bahati also tasked UNRA to get two contractors to take over tarmacking of roads.

Engineer Joseph Otim, the Director of Road Maintenance later promised to hasten the process and ensure that the work is done in acceptable. Otim also expresses optimism that all the projects will be complete in the next five years.