The Minister of Works and Transport, Gen. Katumba Wamala has revealed that the Kira,Kasangati-Matugga road is on course as the contractor has set camp in Matugga for the commencement of the construction.
In a telephone interview with Eagle Online Gen. Katamba said residents should worry because everything is on time.
Asked why there is no any development on the project that was commissioned ON December 29 by President Yoweri Museveni and Katumba himself, “Please don’t involve in lies because the contractor is just setting camp in Matugga and I challenge to drive to Matugga and see for yourself” Gen. Katumba said.
On December 29 last year at the height of both presidential and parliamentary campaigns, President Yoweri Museveni accompanied by the First Lady headed to Namugongo, a Kampala suburb in Wakiso district for the groundbreaking for the construction of Kira,Kasangati-Matugga road.
The 21 kilometer road that starts at the Namugongo which is popularly known as Kyaliwajjala stretches through many upscale suburbs like Namugongo, Kira Kasangati and Matugga. However, according to Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) designs, the road will have to connect to suburbs of Buwaate linking to Kungu through Najjera 2 and therefore, this means that it is designed to decongest both Eastern and Northern routes of Kampala Metropolitan area.
However, what is surprising many of the residents in the above localities is the fact that after the ‘groundbreaking’ by the president, there was no sign that the road is under construction or likely going to be constructed.
However, to Martin Kaggwa, a resident of Kira, the groundbreaking was a hoax by UNRA to dupe residents that their road was under construction.
“We expected it and given the timing and we aren’t surprised given to what happened to Mukono-Katosi road that would surface in both budget speeches and state of the nation addresses but was never implemented. However, what we want is that the head of state shouldn’t have been duped to launch a road construction” Mr Kaggwa told Eagle Online.
But Gen. Katumba said after awarding the road to a contractor, the contractor is given 90 days for mobilization of resources and equipments.
“Those saying we haven’t started should know that the contractor is given a time frame in which that contractor should start and normally it is 90 days and so far the 90 days haven’t elapsed” he said.
The road is part of the outer ring road network to the North of Kampala City.
The project entails upgrading of Kira-Kasangati-Matugga road together with Najjera-Buwate spur and loop connection of the family access road from gravel to bituminous standard.
It also entails dueling of the two kilometers road section from Kyaliwajjala to Kira from the current two lanes to four lanes with a median and provision of walkways and cycle lanes.
UNRA awarded the contract to Chongqing International Construction Corporation (CICO) will be the main contractor while Professional Engineering Consultants (PEC) in a joint venture with KKatt Consult will be project consultants.
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