RESIDENTS AND ROAD USERS QUESTION POOR STATES OF ROADS AND DELAYS IN REHABILITATIONS OF MAJOR ROAD IN ARUA CITY

 
Current state of the road in question 

By Guye Elizabeth

Arua city

The road users of Onduparaka-Andelizu-Mangasaba road, have expressed significant frustrations over ongoing construction delays and poor conditions of Onduparaka-Andelizu-Mangasaba road.

The 8.1 kilometer stretch of road, awarded to Consytech Limited in 2022, which was initially launched last year with the goal of upgrading it into a class 2 feeder road.

The project, valued at approximately 596 million Ugandan shillings, was supposed to be completed within six months.
However, progress has been impeded by contractor delays and poor workmanship.

Recently, the contractor abandoned piles of murruam on the road for nearly two weeks without spreading it, severely hampering the movement of road users.

These delays have raised concerns among residents and local leaders.
Fred Enzama, a road user, voiced his frustrations over the slow progress and the challenges faced on the road.
“If it rains we cannot pass through easily because the size of road has reduced by the heaps of marram making it slippery and risky for us as road users. I really don’t know what is going on with the contractor because they have not spread the heaps of marram and its coming to two weeks now. I urge the authorities to intervene because the challenges we are facing on this road is becoming too much” he said. 

Never Hope Annet, a road user and female councilor candidate for Alivu-Ward to Ayivu division, expressed the challenges the road users face while using the road.

“Since the contractor started working on the road close to two weeks now, they just poured heaps of marram on the road without been spread and it rains the water cannot flow properly affecting our the movement of pedestrians and vehicles making us to suffer” she said.  

Piles of murrum left on the road

In response, Marlon Avutia, the Mayor Ayivu Division, called for patience from the community, assuring them that efforts were underway to engage the contractor and expedite the completion of the road.

“The road is under full rehabilitation and the current murram poured on the road has been rejected by the engineers and the contractor will again bring first class marram to be poured on the road which is currently undergoing testing at the laboratory as the current one will be used as a bed. Currently the road has been narrowed, its true, but work will soon resume and the challenges raised will be addressed” he said.

In May this year, the contractor was summoned by Arua city leadership after sending workers to begin grading the road without notifying the leadership of the city, after pressure began mounting on him from the parliament.

These shortcomings have affected safe and efficient movement for commuters, traders, and residents.
The road’s upgrade was intended to improve connectivity and transport efficiency, but ongoing delays threaten to undermine these benefits.