The State Minister for Works, Musa Ecweru, on Friday travelled to Mitooma District to assess the state of roads in the area.
This followed a concern raised by Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa, about three weeks ago.
Ecweru promised quick action to restore the critical Ncwera bridge that was recently washed away.
The bridge has hindered movement between Ruhinda North and Ruhinda Constituency in Mitooma District.
Ecweru told residents that he will start a discussion at the level of top management where major decisions in the Ministry are taken in order to see that the bridge is worked on.
He added that a critical assessment of the bridge shows that it needs immediate action so that the farmers can easily transport their produce to the market.
“After assessing the bridge and the road connecting Kizinda- Nyabubare-Rutookye-Kisizi-Bitereko-Rwempungu-Kati-Omukyapa, the team has taken serious concern hence a need for response,” Ecweru said.
“It is true that it (the bridge) has been washed away. Now, I have confirmed. I saw the pictures but seeing is believing. My technical people, the engineers, came and did a preliminary assessment in the sense that given the critical nature of the bridge, we must go and look at it critically and treat it as a priority.”
“We will prioritise some of the areas like the bridge because the department of bridges in the Ministry of Works is here with me. Then we will work on those other roads to make them motorable,” he said.
The minister was accompanied by Members of Parliament from Mitooma, LC5 Chairman Benon Karyeija and a team of engineers from the Ministry of Works and Transport.
The Minister and his team further assessed several roads in Bushenyi District that lead to touristic attractions such as the escapements of the rift valley connecting to some parts of Queen Elizabeth National Park.
He said that action on these roads will also be taken based on the assessment report that will be compiled by the technical team that he travelled with.
He noted that his presence in Mitooma is part of his support to the deputy Speaker and the community which is very active in producing coffee, tea and all other commodities that make the country great.
While presiding over the plenary sitting on May 11, the Deputy Speaker said the roads in Ruhinda North, which he represents, were in a bad state and needed urgent government intervention.
He was responding to a matter raised by Kole South MP, Peter Ocen, who decried the impassable roads as a result of the most recent rainy season.
Ocen reported that because of the bad roads, some of the school-going children were missing out on lessons since they could not manage to connect from their homes to the schools.
It was at that point that Tayebwa chipped in with a concern of his own saying he had failed to go back home in Ruhinda North because he would need about 40km to connect from Kizinda in Bushenyi to his Bitereko home in Mitooma.
“Now, even here, your Deputy Speaker is in exile. I cannot go home because of the road from Kizinda to Mitooma; people are rotating around it like they are going to Rukungiri. I have to do an extra 40 kilometres. You have cut us off completely.”
During his visit, Ecweru said it is their responsibility as Ministers to make sure they take care of the country.
The Minister added that it is the duty of the Ministries to respond and take care of such issues that affect the constituencies of Presiding Officers as soon as they come to the attention of the Ministers.
