BY LONGINO MUHINDO & ALEX ASHABA
Bundibugyo district is soliciting Shs 6.8 billion to rehabilitate the road infrastructure that was destroyed by floods that have hit the area since 2019 damaging the majority of the roads and bridges.
The district disaster management committee chairperson, Francis Senyondo, says under the road fund, the district has only managed to rehabilitate four roads in Mbatya, Kirumya, and Bulyamba leaving another 24 roads and bridges in a sorry state.
The 2019 floods claimed the lives at least of 17 people dead and destroyed properties.
Senyondo says the district has requested the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) for support under emergency funding and the DRDIP program because the district does not have the capacity to rehabilitate the affected roads infrastructure, but is yet to receive a response 3 years later.
He explains that this quarter they only have Shs 30 million from Uganda road fund which is not enough to fix the affected roads infrastructure.
The Bughendera county legislator, Hon Kiiza Acrobat Moses, on Wednesday presented the matter of need for funds in the district to work on infrastructure and the speaker promised him to send a team to do the assessment of damaged infrastructure.
Among the washed away roads with bridges that need to be worked on include Hakitara-Busuba 5.5 kilomter, Bundikuyali-Hakitara road 3.6 kilometer, Hakitara-Kanyate road 2.5 kilometer, Bundiwerume-Mbango-Humya road 4 kilometers, Tokwe-Hakitara-Bundimwendi road 6 kilometer, Kinyakende-Ntome road 4 kilometer, Busaru-Bunyakakindo road 3 kilometers, Harugale-Buhundu 3 kilometer road with three bridges washed away among others.
On 4th and 5th this month flood again blocked five sub counties from accessing health services at Bundibugyo main hospital in Bundibugyo town council after two bridges connecting Mirimbi Sub County and Ngite in Bundibugyo were washed away leading to paralyzed transport in the area.
The flash floods swept away a 10 kilometer road of Busaru-Butama where the Lugo Bridge was destroyed, Bundibuturo road, Mirambi access road and 8 kilometer Bubandi-Bundimagoma road.
The district engineer Mr Robert Muhindo, said the affected roads need to be worked upon before the rainy season escalates to reduce the possible forthcoming destruction and workload.
