Residents of Omoro District have used rudimentary methods to fix some of the bridges and major access roads that are in a sorry state.
The idea came from local communities and road users.
The communities have so far worked on Pece Bridge on Lakwatomer-Abole-Koro Abili Road and Atyang – Palenga Road. Pece Bridge collapsed following flash floods in June.
Locals put logs atop the damaged Pece Bridge to enable them cross. But the temporary bridge is used only by boda boda riders and pedestrians.
Mr Michael Opio, a boda boda rider in Lakwana Sub-county, said Pece Bridge is the only major road that connects travellers to Gulu City and Palenga Town Council.
”After the bridge collapsed, we experienced difficulties doing our normal business as we use a long route to Gulu City and to Palenga Town Council, about 26 kilometres, unlike crossing the bridge to Gulu City, which is just 14 kilometres,” he told this publication.
Mr Opio added: ”Also from Atyang to Palenga Town Council, after the bridge collapsed, we used to follow a 15-kilometre road, unlike before when we would travel only 7 kilometres to Palenga.”
Mr Moses Ogenrwot from Abole Trading Centre in Labora Sub-county said locals set up temporary wooden bridges to make it easy for motorcycles and pedestrians to cross after Pece Bridge collapsed in June.
”After Pece Bridge collapsed, our business to Gulu City also dropped. We were using a longer route to Gulu City,”Mr Ogenrwot said on Monday.
Ms Paska Aciro said locals are also facing difficulties in accessing health facilities in neighbouring areas such as Gulu City.
”Even if motorcycles and pedestrians are using that temporary wood bridge, many boda boda riders are not willing; they fear, and when we hired them to go to Gulu City, they prefer using Moroto Road, which is a longer distance,’ Ms Aciro told this publication.
”At the same time, when we were given referrals from Lakwatomer Health Centre III to Gulu Referral Hospital, we spent a lot on transport just because we used the long distance of Moroto Road, which is 20 kilometres from our home, and we pay Shs20,000. But when we passed through that bridge to Gulu City, we paid only Shs15,000,” Ms Aciro said.
Seventy-year-old Martin Ongom, a resident of Abole Trading Centre in Labora Sub-county, appealed to Omoro District Local Government officials to expeditiously repair bridges such as Pece on Atyang,-Palenga and Abole-Koro Abili roads.
”I remember these bridges were constructed 16 years back when Omoro District was still under Gulu District, and now is the right time for Omoro District Local Government to take over from there,” he said.
Meanwhile, residents and local leaders of Aremo Sub-county in Omoro District also made minor repairs on a section of Minakulu-Okwir Road.
They fill up the pot holes using murram, and hired a lorry at their own cost to collect murram.
The road in a sorry state has been under Omoro District Local Government for more than seven years.
The district has reportedly taken a long time without conducting repairs on that road. The road connects Omoro to other districts like Nwoya and Oyam.
Residents told this publication that since the bridges collapsed, authorities from the district engineering department came for inspection, but have done nothing so far.
The Omoro District Chairperson, Mr Andrew Obibi Okot, said apart from the floods that damaged the roads and bridges such as Pece Bridge, heavy-duty vehicles have also contributed to destruction of the road infrastructure.
Omoro leader on action taken
Mr Okot said the district would work on the bridge that connects Atyang to Palenga and the Abole-Koro Abili Bridge in the coming months.
”The design for the new bridge on Atyang-Palenga Road is being done by an engineering team from the ministry [of Works and Transport]. The procurement process will be next month, and the work will be kicked off by January next year,” he told this publication.
”While for the Minakulu-Okwir Road, the district will work on it this financial year using Shs1 billion for the road fund,” he said.
Last year, then LC5 chairperson Peter Douglas Okello and Omoro District Woman Member of Parliament Catherine Lamwaka promised to engage the Ministry of Works to ensure the roads are repaired.
They added that government programmes meant to support farmers like the national oilseed project would not bear any fruit if farmers are locked out due to challenges of market access.
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Background
Omoro District, found in Acholi Sub-region (northern Uganda), has 884 kilometres of roads under its local management: 303 kilometres under district management and 581 kilometres under community access and lower local government.
The district has a population of 220,593, according to the 2024 National Population and Housing Census report.
Quote
The design for the new bridge on Atyang-Palenga Road is being done by an engineering team from the ministry [of Works and Transport]. The procurement process will be next month, and the work will be kicked off by January next year.” – Andrew Obibi Okot, Omoro District Chairperson