Byamukama orders contractor to complete Biiso–Masindi road by February 2027

Masindi: The Minister for Works and Transport, Fred Byamukama, has directed the contractor handling the 47-kilometre Biiso–Masindi road to complete the project by February 2027.

Byamukama issued the directive on Thursday while inspecting the progress of works on the road, which is among Uganda’s critical oil roads.

The project was awarded in 2019 to China Railway Seventh Group Company Limited, which later subcontracted the works to STC. It was initially expected to be completed in 2022, but repeated extensions and financial challenges delayed its completion.

The contractor later abandoned the project over unpaid arrears reportedly amounting to 120 billion shillings.

Byamukama said the project was long overdue, noting that it was initially expected to be completed within three years.

“This road was supposed to be completed within three years. The delay has cost government and has also affected the people using this road,” Byamukama said.

He said government had since revived construction and was committed to ensuring that road projects that had stalled for long periods are completed.

The minister also linked the poor condition of the road to accidents and difficulties faced by road users.

Byamukama assured residents that street lights would be installed and that access roads to worship places and other public facilities would also be tarmacked.

Byamukama also said investigations were being conducted into the circumstances surrounding the diversion of the road from the community to Busingiro Hill in Biiso Sub County, Buliisa District.

He said the diversion had contributed to delays and increased costs of completing the project.

According to Byamukama, he had been informed that some district authorities in Buliisa allegedly colluded with engineers to have the road diverted, either to secure compensation or enable the sale of rocks to the contractor.

He said the allegations would be investigated and that those found culpable would be apprehended.

The minister also said residents of Busingiro Village had complained that the contractor destroyed their water source during construction.

Byamukama said he found residents fetching water from an area on Busingiro Hill where the road had been diverted.

“I have instructed the contractor to address the challenge because we cannot allow our people to suffer for the sake of the project,” he said.

However, Wang Qiang, the Project Manager of China Railway Seventh Group Limited, said the road project was now 92 percent complete.

Wang said the contractor was optimistic that the remaining works would be completed within this year, since most of the major works had already been undertaken.

He attributed the delays to challenges in land acquisition and delayed release of funds.

Kenneth Kiiza Nyendwoha, the Bujenje County Member of Parliament, said completion of the road would ease transportation of agricultural products and improve connectivity between Masindi and Buliisa.

Nyendwoha said the prolonged delay had caused losses to both government and the community.

“Government should always first compensate landowners before awarding contracts because compensation has delayed the completion of this project, thus causing government to incur losses,” Nyendwoha said.

He added that 10 project-affected people had not yet been compensated.

Meanwhile, Byamukama has cautioned farmers in Bunyoro with small pieces of land against relying heavily on sugarcane growing.

He said the region was increasingly becoming a sugarcane-growing corridor, warning that smallholder farmers could face challenges if they devoted most of their limited land to the crop.

Byamukama said that despite government upgrading several roads in Bunyoro, poverty remained a challenge, partly attributing this to farmers with small pieces of land engaging in sugarcane growing at the expense of other agricultural activities.

“If you have a small piece of land, you should not put all of it in sugarcane. You need to think about food security and other enterprises that can support your household,” Byamukama said.

He encouraged smallholder farmers to diversify into enterprises such as coffee, bananas, poultry and livestock.

Byamukama advised farmers with larger pieces of land to take up large-scale sugarcane production while smallholder farmers reserve part of their land for food crops and other income-generating activities.

Nyendwoha also urged farmers to balance sugarcane production with food growing.

He said farmers should reserve part of their land for food crops, noting that President Yoweri Museveni has also repeatedly advised smallholder farmers against relying solely on sugarcane growing.

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