Museveni directs Finance Ministry to “urgently” release shs6bn for Kampala potholes after Ugandans ‘protest’
President Museveni has directed the Ministry of Finance to “urgently” release at least shs6 billion to help work on Kampala potholes.
“I now direct the Ministry of Finance to urgently release the quarterly contribution to KCCA of shs6 billion for pothole filling, repairs and maintenance of roads,” Museveni directed on Wednesday.
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The president was speaking at State House in Entebbe.
Museveni said he had been informed that only 30% of the money required to maintain roads in Kampala had been released this financial year causing roads outside the African Development Bank project to get in deplorable conditions.
He therefore directed that the potholes in the country’s capital are worked upon.
“I task the Kampala Executive Director and her team to give the country an account of progress in this matter.”
The development comes on the backdrop of ‘protests’ by Ugandans on social media over the poor state of roads in Kampala, most of which are filled with potholes.
The protest name Kampala pothole exhibition on several social media platforms saw Ugandans take photos and videos of roads with potholes and post them online as a way of reminding KCCA about the deplorable state of the city’s infrastructure.
Many have since blasted KCCA and the entire government for turning a blind eye to the deplorable situation of roads in the city.
In an emergency press briefing on Tuesday, KCCA Executive Director, Dorothy Kisaka said they don’t have funds to fill the potholes.
KCCA needs anywhere between shs75 – 100 billion annually in order to be able to effectively maintain our roads and yet we get only shs26 billion for this task,”Kisaka said.
“KCCA is facing challenges with budgets. This situation is not only affecting KCCA but most ministries, departments and agencies which too have had to scale back their activities. Unfortunately for KCCA, the services we are supposed to provide such as road and drainage maintenance to avert the current situation of poor roads and flooding are in the full view of everyone hence the constant frontline criticism.”
