The Kabale–Kisoro–Bunagana Road in Western Uganda is falling apart, and if nothing is done soon, it will bring trouble to everyone who depends on it. This 62.5-mile (100.6-km) road is not just important for the people of Uganda but also for tourists and traders. It connects Uganda to the Democratic Republic of Congo at Bunagana and to Rwanda at Kyanika.
The road also leads to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, where tourists visit to see mountain gorillas, which bring a lot of money into the country. It was built in 2012 at a cost of USh 195.4 billion (about US$107 million at the time), with most of the money coming from the African Development Bank. It was a big achievement for Uganda. But today, this important road is in serious danger.
Some parts of the road, like the Harutenga stretch in Rubanda District, are already cracking and may collapse soon. Other sections, like Nyarurambi to Heisesero and Murushekye to Karengyere, are in bad shape too. If these sections are not repaired immediately, the road could become unusable.
This is not the first time such a problem has happened. In May 2023, part of the road at Hamurwa in Rubanda District was damaged. Fixing it cost UGX 3.5 billion and took almost a year. During that time, transport was paralyzed, businesses were disrupted, and many people suffered. That was just one small section. Now, the damage is much worse, and if the road collapses, repairing it could cost over UGX 50 billion.
That was just one isolated case, and at the time, the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) was still operational. Today, following the merger of UNRA with the Ministry of Works and Transport, direct intervention appears more difficult.
This road is very important to Uganda. It is used by farmers and traders to transport goods, by tourists visiting Bwindi, and by people traveling to Rwanda and DR Congo. If the road fails, trade with neighboring countries will stop, tourists will stay away, and many Ugandans will lose their source of income.
The government must act quickly to repair this road. The Ministry of Works and Transport needs to step up and make this a top priority. Ignoring the problem will only make it worse and cost the country more in the long run.
This road is vital for communities, businesses, and tourism. If it is left to collapse, the impact will be felt across the whole region.
The cracks and weak sections must be repaired now before the road is completely destroyed. Waiting will only make the repairs more expensive and harder to fix. Let us not wait for disaster to strike. The time to save this road is now.
The writer, Arinda Wilfred Nshekantebirwe, is the LC 5 Male youth councillor for Rubanda District
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