Fear as Masindi bridges become death traps

Some bridges in Masindi district have become death traps after being washed away soon after their construction.

Several deaths have been reported with famers unable to access markets for their produce.

There is a bridge on River Kimena is supposed to connect Kimena village to Kasambya village.

But the bridge has remained hanging in the middle of the river for the last two years making it a death trap for those who dare use it.

The culverts made of cement and others made out of iron sheets were washed away leaving the rubble gathered in front of it .

Masindi district officials say the initial construction of the bridge cost over Shs 400 million but the contractors did shoddy work.

'"Within a short period, water would come and wash away the culverts, later we realised that the culverts we are using can't manage the bridge. We require boxed culverts which are expensive for us as a district," said Cosmas Byauhanga, the Masindi LC V chairman.

This is not the only bridge in such a sorry state.

Tantala bridge has spent four years in a poor state after the Tantala river flooded and washed away parts of it.

Culverts and stones are what is left of it. At the peak of the rain season, locals say you use the bridge at your own risk.

Locals have improvised rudimentary methods to cross to either side since for the past four years, the district officials haven't been of help.

These say that as farmers who deal in maize and sunflower, they have had challenges of market accessibility.

"The bridge is impassable for us to transport our produce, once the buyers manoeuvre through to come to this side, our goods are bought at a lower price," said Noah Muzamiru a resident of Tantala village.

To some of the locals, the bridge has become a death trap and two children are reported to have lost their lives while trying to cross.

"My 14 year old daughter was killed as she was crossing this bridge.The rapid water of the river hit her hard and she was washed away by the river only to find her body a few days later," says David Buzele, a resident of Tantala village.

Cosmas Byaruhanga says the district has nothing to do since such accidents are unavoidable calamities although he acknowledges the death of two children.

"We keep pushing for the central government to react but it doesn't yet people want to see the bridge worked on," Byaruhanga said.

However, the district now has eyes set on the Agriculture Cluster Development project which is expected to work on the bridges as they construct the roads that connect the villages of Tantala and Kimina.

"Under the project we have about Shs 1 billion that is going to ensure that the road and the bridges are worked upon despite a few challenges," says Brian Atuhura, communications officer Masindi district local government. However, the initial budget was Shs 10 billion.

Local civil society organisations that monitor service delivery in Bunyoro say it is due to the poor supervision of the technical and political officials which informs why budgets are cut without them knowing.

"District officials take a long time without going to the field to understand the general service delivery problems happening in different areas of their districts," says Ismael Kusemerwerwa the executive director of the Mid Western region Anti Corruption Coalition.

The district has however earmarked Shs 960 million for the construction of roads and a few bridges that are in a sorry state.