Residents of Kanungu District in southwestern Uganda are struggling with the poor state of community access roads, which they say has affected their daily earnings.
They attribute the sorry state of the roads to the government’s decision to merge the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) into the Ministry of Works and Transport, a move they claim has led to inconsistencies in road maintenance and service delivery.
Some of the roads in poor condition include Hamurwa, Rugyeyo-Kambuga road, Kanungu-Nyamirama, Katete-Kihihi, and Kanungu-Rugyeyo-Kabaranga. Mr Martin Byarugaba, a tea farmer and resident of Rugyeyo sub-county, said most of the community roads are in appalling condition, affecting the transportation of agricultural produce to markets.
“The food trucks are forced to load half their capacity so that they can maneuver through the rough roads,” Byarugaba said, adding that the state of the road has been worsened by floods that cut through the roads, creating deep gullies and potholes.
M Christine Kobusigye, a banana farmer and resident of Kambuga town council, said the Kambuga-Kanungu town council road has become impassable because it was last rehabilitated six years ago.
“We are counting losses due to exorbitant transport costs because of the poor road network in the district,” she said.
Mr James Muhwezi, a businessman in Kanungu town, said they are forced to increase the prices of their commodities to meet the high transport costs. He blamed the district authorities for neglecting their roles. “The government should intervene before the situation worsens. The roads are surely in poor condition and need to be rehabilitated,” Muhwezi said.
Mr. Godfrey Mujuni, a boda boda cyclist, said the piles of stones on the road spoil their motorcycle tires during transportation of commodities and passengers, forcing them to hike transport costs. “Apparently, we charge between Shs 15,000 to Shs 20,000 to take a passenger within the district and outside the district (Rukungiri town), we charge from Shs 25,000 to Shs 30,000,” Mujuni said.
The Rugyeyo cell LC1 Chairperson, Mr. Jimmy Baheza, said the poor state of roads is worrying both the community and business persons who depend on agriculture to earn a living. “The situation is not good at all. Farmers are lacking access to market centers for the transportation of their agricultural produce because of the sorry state of community roads,” Baheza said.
The Nyakabungo Town Council Mayor, Mr. Frugence Mugisha, said the poor road condition has caused great suffering among road users, affecting the transportation of goods and leading to frequent vehicle breakdowns. “Many other roads across our district are also in poor condition, and their poor state greatly disrupts the local transport network and economic activities,” Mugisha noted.
Mugisha blamed the government for merging UNRA with the Ministry of Works and Transport, saying that during the UNRA era, major roads like Kanungu-Rugyeyo road were regularly maintained and properly fitted with drainage culverts. “The current inconsistency of the ministry of works and transport has greatly led to widespread deterioration of road infrastructure,” Mugisha added.
The Kanungu district speaker, Mr. Frank Byaruhanga, urged the government to always consult local communities before making major policy decisions, emphasizing that people on the ground understand rural challenges better. “The roads are in a very poor state, and locals face a lot of hardships in trying to access market centers. The district should quickly intervene and work on some roads that link farmers to market centers,” Byaruhanga said.
The Kanungu district roads engineer, Mr. Dennis Magezi, said the district did some grading but heavy rains that lasted for three weeks made the roads impassable. He added that they are soon rehabilitating all community access roads in this financial year.
The district chairperson, Eng. Sam Kajojo, said his administration has budgeted Shs 102 million for the rehabilitation of all community access roads this financial year. “Very soon, we shall start working on their roads. We are also overwhelmed by too much rain that is currently hitting the district on a daily basis. These rains destroy roads, making them impassable,” Kajojo said.
Eng. Alison Abenawe, the former UNRA Manager for Kigezi Sub-region and now overseeing roads under the Ministry of Works and Transport, expressed regret over the poor state of the Kanungu-Rugyeyo-Kabaranga road. “The Ministry is aware of the problem, but I am assuring you that plans for rehabilitating roads within this financial quarter are underway,” Abenawe said, adding that by December 2025, the roads will be fully rehabilitated.