The Minister of Works and Transport, Monica Azuba has pledged to fast track the development of the road networks that are in line with 2040 vision.
“Development of infrastructure is a key to the propelling of a country to middle income status, The Government has imported equipment from Japan that will be used in the maintenance of roads” adding that all the districts are entitled to getting them.
The government through Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) is upgrading over 1,400 kilometers of roads countrywide. “In order to reduce the congestion within metropolitan areas, we are also constructing expressways and flyovers’’
Briefing the media at Uganda Media Centre about National Resistance Movement (NRM) party manifesto review, the Azuba cautioned district leaders that government is going to be firm and strict on road equipment saying they have a GPS system that will help in tracking them wherever they will be.
“Most of the first year of the manifesto is spent on design, plan, we are making sure that all roads are accessible for the whole year’’ she said.
Azuba revealed that due to lack of an alternative International Airport, the governments is yet construct an airport at Hoima that will facilitate other travelers to different parts of the world adding that they already have a master plan and the construction will be done by 2019. However the expansion and rehabilitation of Entebbe airport runway are ongoing and upon finalizing, it will be modernized and have automate works that suits the international standards.
In line with Uganda’s Vision 2040, the minister assured the public that the government is going to construct an inland port at Bukasa that will facilitate commercial activities around Kampala. The first phase is expected to take four years; the second phase is supposed to take another four years however constructions are yet to begin.
She gave a hint about the construction of standard gauge railway, Malaba-Kampala line starting this year however, she sounded contradictory and unsure saying it is not expected but it will be starting.
‘’We are improving our systems including quality assurance that is why we are accountable to the public’’.
