Contractor abandons Masindi-Biiso oil road over UGX120bln arrears
The politician, however, stresses that since the road has been abandoned, it's affecting the road users, mostly the business community.
Masindi: In 2019, the government of Uganda contracted China Railway Seventh Group Co. Ltd. to construct five of the critical oil roads, including a 47-kilometer Biiso-Masindi road.
The project, initially contracted to China Railway Seventh Group Co. Ltd. and subcontracted to STC, was supposed to be completed in 2022. However, due to multiple extensions and financial issues, the road remains unfinished.
The contractor reportedly abandoned the project due to arrears amounting to 120 billion shillings. This has left motorists struggling with the poor state of the road, which is crucial for traffic, especially trucks heading to Northern and West Nile regions, particularly after the closure of the Karuma Bridge.
Tom Wobusobozi and Asiimwe Fred, both boda boda riders, are particularly concerned about the dangerous conditions at the Hoima-Biiso junction, especially when it rains, leading to accidents and making parts of the road impassable.
Their frustration has reached a point where they are considering planting banana stems in protest to close the road.
Yahaya Muhamad, a truck driver, highlights the financial burden and delays caused by the poor state of the road, which has been exacerbated by the diversion due to the Karuma Bridge closure. Spending up to two days on the road during rains is a significant issue.
Sapline Balyebuga, the LC3 Chairperson of Kabango Town Council, also emphasizes the dangers posed by the abandoned construction materials left on the road.
He is calling for urgent intervention from the government and the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) to complete the project, given the high volume of traffic, especially trucks, using this route.
Kiiza Kenneth Nyendwoha, the MP for Bujenje County, highlights that the abandonment of the road is partly due to unpaid workers, urging the government to settle these payments to resume work.
Allan Atugonza, the MP for Buliisa County, has received assurances from the Minister of State for Transport, Fred Byamukama, that the road will be completed by February 2025, with an inspection planned for November this year.
‘’While in Biiso recently, I raised the issue of that road to Minister Byamukama and said he would inspect the road in November this year. He also assured us that it will be completed by February next year, so we still have hope.’’ Atugonza adds.
Despite these assurances, the current state of the road is severely impacting road users, especially the business community. ‘’The delay and abandonment are causing significant inconvenience and safety concerns,’’ he stressed.
We couldn’t get a comment from the contractor by the time of publication.
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