More than 80 drivers operating on the Kamwenge- Fort Portal road have threatened to stage a demonstration protesting the poor road that has affected their operations.
In their November 18th 2011, addressed to Sebaana Kityo the Executive Director Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA), the drivers claim that the Kamwenge –Fort Portal road is dilapidated requiring immediate refurbishment.
The petition is signed by Kabwemi Bosco, the chairman KATODA and is copied to Abraham Byandala, the minister of works and transport, UNRA Fort Portal station engineer, Richard Rwabuhinga, the Kabarole district chairman and the RDC Kabarole Elijah Biryabarema among others.
The drivers say that the road is full of pot holes and the situation has worsened during this rainy season.
They claim that the road has been made worse by the heavy trucks which ferry stones, line stone, and tree logs making it impassable for the taxis and small vehicles carrying passengers and commercial goods.
In the petition, the drivers indicated that that the 69km road which is periodically repaired and maintained by UNRA has taken close to two years without being worked on.
They say all the money they collect from the passengers is being taken to the garages and they do not want to raise the transport fares because of the ongoing inflation.
Abel Kanyankole, the transporting officer Kamwenge Taxi Operators and Drivers Association (KATODA) says they have given UNRA one week to have started the repair or grading of the Kamwenge Fort portal road. Kanyankole says that when one week elapses and no work is done on the road, they will go on strike and park all their vehicles.
Rubahamya M., the UNRA station engineer confirms receiving the petition but says there are no available funds to work on the road despite the alarming conditions it is in.
He says they are now working on tarmacking the Nyakahita-Ibanda-Kamwenge road.
