Mbale District Leaders Launch Construction of 1.8B UGX Oil Seed Road, 4 Bridges

By Weswa Ronnie

Mbale: Mbale district leaders have today Thursday launched the construction of a 6.7-kilometer road and four bridges, valued at 1.8 billion shillings, allocated to the district in the 2024/25 financial year.

The road, known as Sakia-Bukhumeka/Aswan Busano, and bridges, including Nasasa, Nasirokola, and Nambale, are located in Bungokho and Bumbobi sub-counties.

Rose Khaiza Okello, the project’s focal person and Mbale district agriculture officer, stated that the government’s primary objective is to facilitate the transportation of oil seed crops, such as soya beans, groundnuts, and sunflowers, from Mbale district to the market.

Allan Guma, representing the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Fisheries, explained that the funds allocated to various districts for this project are a loan from the African Development Bank, aimed at improving infrastructure in areas where oil seed crops are grown.

He says the government will recover the loan through taxes on farmers transporting or selling their crops.

Robert Nasimolo, the Mbale district acting engineer, announced that the construction work will take eight months to complete.

He says that the road construction will involve maruming with first class marum and drainage system construction.

Chris Mafabi, the LCIII chairperson of Bungokho sub-county, expressed his enthusiasm for the project, urging the public to support it and the contractor to deliver quality work.

Muhammad Mafabi, the Mbale district LCV chairperson, encouraged farmers to utilize the road once completed to transport their agricultural products to nearby markets, potentially increasing their household income.

Residents Mabonga Wakhameme and Musa Sakwa, from Bumbobi sub-county, requested compensation for their land affected by the construction and promised to use the bridges and road for transporting their products once completed.

However, Luke Lukode denied any sort of compensation saying this project has no inclusion of compensation.