Eng. Michael Akankwasa the UNRA Project Manager says that the construction of the Rukungiri-Kihihi-Ishasha/Kanungu road project will be completed within the reasonable time, with progress of works now at 41.16%.
He made the revelation to journalists on a guided tour on the project on 20th May, 2021.
“The initial timeline given for construction of the project would not be enough so it has been extended by four months due to abnormal rainfall that affected earthworks and pavement works and prolonged effects of Covid-19 on the project that delayed mobilisation of key equipment and personnel,” he remarked.
The construction of this project is expected to be completed in March 2022.
Speaking during the media tour, Shafque Ssekandi the Kanungu Resident District Commissioner thanked the government for the first tarmacked road in Kanungu district adding that people are very eager to have the first tarmack which will support exports especially that go to Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) like cement, iron bars, beers among others.
“We also get imports from congo like rice, maize, coffee, timber among others hence there will be high level of exchange of goods and services between Uganda and DRC,” he stated.
He said that tourists have been complaining of the bad state of the road and in Kanungu there are two national parks; Bwindi National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park on the lower belt where tourists come to view mountain gorilla and climbing lions and a for a foreigner to see a mountain gorilla, one has to pay 600 US dollars.
Ssekandi added that the road will boost the tourism sector and also local economic activities in Kanungu district.
“Kanungu is purely an agricultural district where matooke, coffee, timber, honey, rice and watermelon are grown, farmers have been finding difficulties to transport their produce to the markets in Kabale and Rukungiri,” He revealed.
Ssekandi said that once the road is complete, it will ease transport of commodities to the market as well as social services being that the biggest referral hospitals are in Kabale or Kisizi or Nyakibale.
The project under construction by China Henan International Cooperation Group Co. Ltd is co-financed by the African Development Bank (ADB) and Government of Uganda (GoU).
