While speaking on Monday during the International Labour Day celebrations held in Namutumba district in the wake of an online campaign by Ugandans to showcase the state of roads in the country’s capital, president Museveni criticised a section of Ugandans yelling to government over thebad roads especially in Kampala and urged them not to forget about the good roads upcountry.
“ I had a good drive in the rain from Kampala, it was very nice drive and the road is very good all the way from Kampala to Namutumba. Therefore when we talk of the bad roads in Kampala,you should not forget that there are good roads up country,” Museveni said.
A few weeks ago Ugandans took to social media with the Kampala pothole exhibition in which social media users shared photos with potholes across the country’s capital in which they castigated KCCA authorities for turning a blind eye to the deteriorating condition of roads in the city.
This social media campaign that saw KCCA executive director Dorothy Kisaka go on the defensive saying they don’t have enough funds for road maintenance.
She noted that while KCCA requires between Shs 70 billion and Shs 100 billion annually to fix roads the government only allocated Shs 26 billion.
“ KCCA is facing challenges with budgets.This situation is not only affecting KCCA abut most ministries, departments and agencies which too have had to scale back their activities.The situation has been helped by the increased traffic levels on the roads which in turn causes increased wear and tear,” Kisaka said.
Consequently,the president has directed the Ministry of Finance to release funds to KCCA to enable them work on potholes in the city.
“ I now direct the ministry of Finance to urgently release the quarterly contribution to KCCA of Shs 6 billion for pothole filling,repairs and maintenance of roads ,” he said.