By Weswa Ronnie
MBALE
The Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development Program (USMID) is closing by December, 2023.
This revelation was made by the State Minister of Urban Development, Mario Obiga Kania while speaking to hundreds of political and technical leaders from different cities, Municipalities and districts from Eastern region at Mbale resort hotel located in Mbale city on Thursday, 19th October 2023.
The two day workshop was aimed at evaluating USMID projects for both phase one and phase two.
According to the Minister, the World Bank through the USMID program in 2014 first phase gave Uganda a loan of 138 million US dollars.
Then in the second phase in 2019, more 360 million US dollars was released to do more infrastructures like roads, security and drainage in different municipalities across the country.
Kania says that after second phase, the project will end because World Bank is not ready to continue giving Uganda more money under the same project.
Isaac Mutenyo, the national coordinator of USMID says that they first worked on 150 kilometers in first phase and they have again worked on 50 kilometers in this second phase totaling to over 200 kilometers in the entire projects.
He adds that they expect all ongoing road-works at different municipalities and cities under second phase to end on 30th December this year.
Mutenyo urged all leaders at municipalities and cities where works are going on to put pressure on contractors to finish the works within the time frames.
Kasim Namugali, the Mbale City Mayor says that in Mbale almost all works are done with only a few roads remaining.
He says that cities and municipalities are going to suffer when this project ends since currently the local revenue and road fund they get from the center is too little to construct new roads.
