Authorities in Ibanda Municipality have raised concerns over the lack of a road unit, a challenge that has hindered their ability to construct and maintain roads efficiently.
Speaking to Nile Post, Ibanda Municipality Mayor, Apollo Kibeherere, expressed frustration over the absence of essential road construction equipment.
He noted that although the municipality is supposed to operate independently, it currently depends on Ibanda District for machinery, which delays roadworks.
"Out of the entire road unit, which comprises six machines, we don’t have even one. This forces us to hire from the district, but we can only use them after the district’s projects are completed. This not only delays our work but also strains our already limited budget," Kibeherere said.
Ibanda is among the 12 municipalities created in 2016, including Kira, Nansana, Makindye-Ssabagabo, Kisoro, Mityana, Njeru, Kitgum, Koboko, Mubende, Kumi, and Lugazi. However, while the government allocated road units to 14 newly created districts in 2024 including Bugweri, Kalaki, Kapelabyong, Kassanda, Kitagwenda, Kazo, municipalities were not included in the distribution.
In response to the concerns, Susan Kataike, Senior Public Relations Officer at the Ministry of Works and Transport, assured that the government is aware of the issue and is working towards a solution.
"These municipalities were created after the first and second phases of procurement. However, they will be considered in the third phase as we seek financing for additional road units," Kataike told the Nile Post in an interview.
She also revealed that the Ministry of Works and Transport is planning to procure five road unit sets, which will be distributed across five regions for municipalities and cities to share.
Additionally, the ministry plans to introduce a bitumen machine specifically for municipalities to facilitate tarmacking.
"As ministry we plan to procure five road unit sets which we shall distribute across five regions for the municipalities and cities to share. We shall also give them a bitumen machine as an additional equipment," she added.
Ibanda Municipality leaders remain hopeful that this government intervention will ease their challenges, allowing them to improve road infrastructure and enhance service delivery.
