Transparency, a critical ingredient required of district leaders for public road equipment

Summary:

• The government procured road equipment for 14 districts costing sh34.6 billion, emphasizing the need for accountability. Despite efforts, Uganda’s road network needs improvement. The equipment allocation aims to address this, but misuse remains a concern. Citizens must hold leaders accountable for proper utilization.

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Following the government’s procurement of road equipment for 14 districts, costing the taxpayer sh34.6 billion, there is a need to ensure accountability for the deployment of this vital machinery.

To ensure that this machinery is put to good use and to avoid cases of district leaders misusing it for personal benefit at the expense of the communities and local residents, who are the ideal beneficiaries, citizens of these various districts need to hold their leaders accountable.

Last week, Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja handed over road equipment to a total of fourteen (14) districts to enable them to maintain community access roads within their localities.

Media reports indicate that an additional sh30 billion is still required to buy more equipment. This will include two dump trucks, a vibro roller, and one water browser for each of the 14 districts.

Despite the government’s continued efforts to provide road infrastructure, much remains to be desired, with a sizeable portion of Uganda’s road network still in poor condition. Those in power still need to do more to improve this situation.

Nabbanja acknowledges that only 69% of the district roads and 50% of the urban roads are in fair to good condition, with some areas not covered by any form of connectivity—this is even worse for newly-created districts.

Where does this leave the 31% of the district roads and the other half of the urban roads?

The sh34.6 billion provided by the Government, through the Ministry of Works and Transport, was used to procure a wheel loader motor grader, which was allocated to each beneficiary district.

I am pleased that most of the beneficiary districts are those truly in need of this machinery. That is a huge thumbs up to this government for heeding the call of these road users in the following districts: Kapelabyong, Kitagwenda, Bugweri, Madi-Okollo, Nabilatuk, Obongi, Terego, Kassanda, Kazo, Kwania, Rwampara, Kalenga, and Kikuube.

My concern is that in the past, we have had public equipment such as this not fully utilized due to the selfish interests of those in charge of deploying them for work. Other times, such government property ends up being diverted and used for private work. Additionally, some self-seeking district leaders have a tendency to use adulterated fuel, which can severely damage such costly equipment.

As civil society, we call upon these leaders to think twice before engaging in such shady activities because, apart from its immoral implications, it is akin to robbing your own country and community.

Many times, the road equipment is parked for months due to a lack of fuel. This, too, becomes a disservice to the taxpayers who continue to endure bad roads and nasty accidents as a result of potholed, narrow roads, which are now synonymous with Uganda, yet there is an available option to address this.

I hereby appeal to these leaders to have a sense of patriotism and put this machinery to good use for the benefit of the entire community. That is how we shall collectively progress at the district, regional, and national levels.

I applaud the prime minister and Minister of Works, Gen Katumba Wamala, for this positive contribution, which is a great step in the development of our nation. However, we also task them to follow up on how these are going to be used efficiently.

This will enable us to maintain our growing national road network, which, according to Nabbanja, stands at 159,364 km, of which 138,142 km, representing 86.9%, are located within the district, urban, and community access road (DUCAR) network.

This is in line with President Yoweri Museveni’s 2014 decision in June of that year to re-equip all districts with more robust equipment.

Rhyman Alphred Agaba is a journalist and an Advocacy Officer at Citizens’ Concern Africa, a not-for-profit organization championing human rights and environmental protection.

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