Africa-Press – Uganda. The building of Kaguta Bridge over River Moroto has eased transport and spurred development in Otuke District.
Residents who spoke to Daily Monitor last week said before the bridge was built they were compelled to cross the river in canoes, some of which were in poor conditions, endangering their lives.
“There was no road here. We had a path only accessible with a bicycle and on foot. When the Karimojong cattle rustlers and the LRA rebels attacked us, you could hardly cross this river,” Mr Gasper Okello, the secretary for finance, planning and administration in Otuke , said.
Mr Yeko Ayo, a resident of Apii Oguro Cell, Barjobi Town Council, said: “Sometimes you had to swim, which was very risky, and as a result, we lost many lives.”
Mr Patrick Otole, a farmer, said whenever they wanted to access Lira Town, they had to use long routes like the one via Aloi in Alebtong.
“But now, it takes only two hours via the newly constructed bridge. This is a very good progress both for the farmers and traders,” he said.
Mr Patrick Odongo, the chairman of Otongere Ward, Barjobi Town Council in Otuke, said the bridge has enabled them access market for their produce.
“You had to go to Lira via Aloi, which was very expensive and if you sold your produce from here, you did not get any profit. So, we were cut off from the main market,” he said.
President Museveni pledged to construct the bridge in 2004 in memory of hundreds of people massacred by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels when they attacked Barlonyo internally displaced people’s camp on February 24, 2004.
However, the works started around 2011 and were completed in 2016. The project cost Shs1.4 billion.
The Minister of Health, who is also Lira City Woman MP, Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, commissioned the bridge on behalf of the President last Friday.
Ministry of Works and Transport officials, MPs and leaders from Lira, Otuke and Alebtong districts also attended the ceremony.
Mr Bageya Waiswa, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Works and Transport, said the commissioning was delayed due to activities such as river training to ensure sustainability of the bridge which connects Otuke to Lira, Alebtong, Agago, Pader , Abim and Kotido districts.
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