President Yoweri Museveni has told the people of Greater Masaka to vote for leaders from his National Resistance Movement (NRM) party if they are to get ‘small things’ like feeder roads.
Museveni took time castigating people of Masaka for electing ‘useless’ people who cannot lobby for them social services and infrastructure such as feeder roads. Museveni said opposition parliamentarians waste a lot of time fighting for his downfall and putting on what he called ‘funny’ (red) clothes.
“As the head of state, I focus on big national roads not these feeder roads, so it is you to vote someone in NRM that will be reminding me and that is if you vote someone in the ruling party,” he said throwing the crowds into laughter.
While saying this, Mathias Mpuuga, the Masaka Municipality MP who was in attendance remained silent; Mpuuga is the area MP.
He said this during the commissioning of the civil works for the construction of the 41km Nyendo-Bukakata which has been appearing in the last thirteen National budget framework papers. The road would become unmotorable during the rainy season because of its sorry state.
The road is expected to connect Masaka to Kalangala islands and other trading centres along the shores of Lake Victoria.
According to Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA), the road works will include upgrading from gravel to tarmac and the construction should take 36 months starting early next year. UNRA said upon completion, the road will improve the accessibility of the lake and its islands hence increase business incomes for the locals and also reduce time travel hence cutting losses on fragile goods like fish and fruits.
Works will be carried out by Arab Contactors, M/S Galander Engineering Consultants and KKATT Consult will do the supervision. The whole project will be co-financed with loans from Arab Bank for Economic Development of Africa ($12 million) and OPEC Fund for International Development at $15 million. Government on its part will spend Shs 165.5 billion.
The road works will start at Nyendo junction in Masaka through Luvule and Kayugi trading centres to Bukakata on the shores of L. Victoria a gateway that connect Kalanga to mainland Masaka.
Works and Transport minister, Monica Ntege Azuba said the road will be upgraded to class II bitumen standard, it will be 7 meters wide, will have 1.5 shoulders wide on both sides and a thickness of 200 millimeters
Azuba notes that the project that will last for a period of two years will also cater for an additional 8 kilometer road that stretches around Masaka municipality. She asks the communities to put the road to good use upon completion.