By Weswa Ronnie
MANAFWA
Residents in the three sub counties of Bukhadala, Butiru and Butiru Town Council in Manafwa district have held a peaceful demonstration by blocking Butiru-Bukhadala-Kwapa road over its poor state.
Locals from the three sub counties on Wednesday, 22nd November, 2023 closed the road by planting banana suckers and putting logs in the middle of the road which paralyzed movement of people throughout the day.
Butiru-Bukhadala Kwapa is a district road stretching 18 Kilometres from Butiru Town Council to neighbouring Tororo district.
Vincent Musungu, a businessman from Butiru Town Council says that the road has stayed for three years without any rehabilitation.
He added that most of their merchandise they sell In Butiru Town Council comes from Tororo Municipality but because of the poor road, they are now compelled to hire people to carry goods on their heads ultimately increasing retail prices.
Francis Kitoyi, another resident, says that last week, an expectant mother who was going to deliver from Butiru Crisco private hospital died after a boda boda man got into an accident due to the poor state of the road.
“We have tried to tell our district leaders and area Members of Parliament about the state of the road but they have paid deaf ears,’’ Kitoyi says.
Rashid Wanzala, a boda boda rider from Bukhadala Sub County says that they have now lost three boda boda riders while other two are in critical conditions at Mbale regional referral hospital after falling in a big trench which has developed on the road.
They added that this is what has forced them to demonstrate by planting banana suckers and blocking the road as one way of passing the message to their leaders at the district.
Kefa Mafumo, one of the area residents but working with state house at political directorate department says that area locals from the three sub counties and himself mobilised 5,000 litters of fuel to fuel district grader and rehabilitate their road but they were denied machines by district leadership claiming that he is trying to use the road to get political mileage.
‘’We resorted to go to Uganda National Roads Authority head office Kampala and engineer Joseph Otim, the director of road maintenance gave us two graders which came last week and parked at Butiru play grounds waiting to start the maintenance work on Monday this week,’’ Mr. Mafumo said.
Mr. Mafumo says that even after getting the graders from UNRA, district leaders issued a directive to the drivers of the graders not to risk do any road maintenance claiming that he wants to use this road for political populism.
‘’These two graders went back this morning (Wednesday) which is still hurting locals in the three sub counties at Manafwa,’’ Mr Mafuma narrated.
Kosea Kigayi Kimono, the LCV chairperson of Manafwa district when contacted on phone said he had no comment to give to the media on the demonstration.
Government of Uganda under ministry of finance allocated one billion shillings to each district local government to maintain its roads.
