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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Leaders in Lamwo district have faulted Uganda National Roads Authority [UNRA] over failure to repair Madi-Opei-Agoro road.
The murram road stretches 15 kilometers through the villages of Oriang in Madi-Opei Sub County, Ywaya and Loremebenge in Agoro sub county.
The leaders say the road has not been maintained since the year begun and has become impassable for vehicles due to heavy rains currently being experienced in the district.
Charles Obong Okwera, the Madio-Opei sub-county LC3 chairperson says that the worst part of the road stretches 10 kms from Madi-Opei Junction up to Loremebenge.
He says the poor state of the road has rendered transportation of patients and expectant mothers and agricultural goods especially vegetables out of Agoro Sub-county impossible.
Okwera adds that with the high malaria cases in the area, it has been very difficult to send ambulances to transport patients from Agoro Health Center III to Madi-Opei Health Center IV or to other health facilities in Kitgum Town.
He says many people have now been forced to take long alternative route driving through Agoro-Apwoyo-Oboko –Paloga and Padibe road about 100 km to access services in Kitgum.
“Agoro-Madi-Opei road is very important for businesses and health referrals since it’s a short cut. But failure by UNRA to maintain the road for long has left the road in a poor state, there are several potholes and the road is very slippery when it rains leaving it impossible for vehicles to use the road,” Okwera says.
He says UNRA officials said that a contractor had been hired to repair the road in May but nearly three months, no work has been undertaken.
Okwera says drivers who take risks driving on the road have hiked the transport fares to 15,000 Shillings from 8,000 shillings.
The Lamwo LCV Chairperson John Komakech Ogwok says two culverts that act like bridges on the road have broken down, which is risky for motorists.
He wants UNRA to maintain the road to ease free movement of people and goods from Agoro to Madi-Opei.
Felix Tumukunde Beinamaryo, the UNRA Kitgum Station Manager says that plans are underway to repair it. He says delays in procurement have dragged maintenance of the road.
According to Beinamaryo, UNRA has already contracted Upland Contractors, a road construction company that is expected to begin work by September and October this year.
“We are hopeful that once procurement processes are finished, work is expected to start in September or October. We also want to tell the leaders that we have not been resting, there are many roads we are maintaining, when we touch one this year, we select another the following year,” Beinamaryo said.
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