Africa-Press – Uganda. Residents from five remote villages in Karagura Sub-county, Kabarole District, for the last three months have embarked on the construction of a 40-kilometre road to access better health services and various markets.
The road will give residents access to Nyakitokoli Health Centre II, which is expected to be upgraded and commissioned on Friday as a health centre III.
Patients have over the years been carried on shoulders and stretchers to endure treacherous journeys of more than 40Kms to access health facilities in Bukuku and Nyakitokoli, all in the lower-lying areas of the sub-county. Each journey takes about four hours.
The residents, who are currently using rudimentary tools to construct the road, are hopeful that once it is completed, they will have easier access to health facilities and also transport their produce to various markets.
The road snakes through five villages of Kitaaka, Kaisamba, Bukukuru, Nyakitokoli A, and Nyakitokoli B, all located in the rugged terrain of Karagura Sub-County.
These communities reside in the shadow of the Mountain Rwenzori ranges and the Mt Rwenzori National Park. Also, those who live on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo have over the years been cut off from essential services like water and power.
The areas, however, have fertile soils that support the cultivation of various food crops, including potatoes, peas, bananas, beans, and coffee, which are all grown on a large scale.
Ms Gladesi Kabugho, the vice chairman of Nyakitokoli B Village, said the residents’ motivation for embarking on this ambitious road construction was because the villages have been neglected over the years and missed several essential services.
She said pregnant mothers in the area often give birth at home due to difficulties in accessing public health facilities.
“We decided to start this initiative as villages in the hilly areas of Karagura to see that we access health facilities in lower lands. We have so far covered four villages, and we want the road to reach the health facility. We hope that after the road is complete, cars and motorcycles will start accessing our communities,” Ms Kabugho said.
She said residents agreed to dedicate every Thursday to communal road construction efforts, with each member compelled to provide hoes and spades.
Residents willingly donated their land for the road construction.
Mr Sedrack Kinyerere, a resident, said he gave out land because the road is a public good and that it will reduce on transport costs.
He said he has been paying casual labourers Shs15,000 to carry a bag of Irish potatoes and Shs10,000 for a bag of other produce to various markets. He said most locals sell their produce cheaply at the farm due to high transport costs.
Mr Kahuzo Elkana, the Karagura Sub-county chairman, said:“We thank the people for constructing the road, as a sub-county we don’t have money, we only get Shs6 million for roads, when the road is completed in the subsequent financial years ,we shall see how we can put it in our budget.”
He said International Fertiliser Development Centre (IFDC), a non-govermental organisation, has provided machinery for sections of the road.
Ms Beatrice Nyangoma, the communication manager of IFDC, yesterday said:“We have partnered with Kabarole authorities by fuelling the tractors to work on hotspot areas such as bridges to see that residents access markets and health facilities.”
For More News And Analysis About Uganda Follow Africa-Press
