One of the biggest problems that are currently affecting rural areas in the Elgon region is poor roads that are characterized with poor bridges, holes and mud especially when it rains. Being in hilly areas, farmers have failed to gain from their high farm produce that they highly yield from the loam fertile soils even though Sironko is termed as the food basket for East Africa due to lack of transporting what they produce to the market has been a serious impedement in their development.
During her campaign rallies in 2016 general elections, the Sironko district Woman MP Florence Nambozo vowed to lobby from government to build new interconnectivity roads and bridges in Sironko district and renovate others that had been constructed previously but in a sorry state currently. To show that she was not just making noise, MP Nambozo included her promises in her manifesto to always remind her while in office.
What appeared like propaganda that politician’s use when seeking for votes in 2016 was realized this week after the MP’s tireless efforts in the parliament lobbying for these roads and bridges, the Ministry of Works has officially handed over the works for the construction of the roads and bridges to the official contractor.
The Works ministry handed over the works to M/S Uganda Martyrs Housing and Construction Co. Ltd in Sironko town council in the presence of the Chief Administrative officer (CAO).
“Improved roads are to help solve the transport and communication nightmare that has kept the people of Sironko from accessing the market yet the area boasts to be the food basket for the region.” said the minister.
According to Namboozo, the construction that is worth over Ugx990bn is meant to commence on May 1st 2019.
The construction works totaling to 10.8Km include: the Bumaseke- Bugiboni Roads covering 2.2km, Buyobo-Lugotani-Soroti Road of 4.0km, Nangooli-Butadinga Road 2.6km and Nakayindira Road covering 2.0km.
The legislator applauded the Government through the ministry of Works and transport for having quickly responded to her request of having these interconnectivity Roads and bridges constructed and improved asserting that this will ease the transportation of farm products.
“This will help to promote cheaper, efficient and reliable transport services to facilitate communities to easily access markets and improve access to extension services like agriculture inputs and social services”. She said
Sironko is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the Eastern Region of Uganda and the site of the district headquarters of Sironko is approximately 22 kilometers from Mbale to Moroto. it is also approximately 265 kilometers from Kampala, Uganda’s capital.
The figures from the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), of 2014, national population show that the district had a total population of 18,884 people.
