By Weswa Ronnie
MBALE CITY
Mbale City Council Authorities have explained why it has been unable to fix and maintain city roads despite receiving Shs1Billion from the Central government for FY2023/24.
Speaking on Tuesday, 20th August, 2024 to different stakeholders, at Naboa road during Baraza meeting organized by Mbale city, Edison Kasadha, said that Mbale city failed to use all the money for maintaining roads as it was meant due to the breakdown of their grader for now over 2 months.
He says that they had budgeted to maintain over 100Kms roads in the city for the last financial year 2023/24 but they failed to attain even a third of that.
He says that it’s not their own making as an engineering department but they were frustrated by the lack of functioning machines (grader).
Kasadha says that the only grader which the city has and was given to them when still a Municipality is mechanically down for over two months now.
The engineer says that they realized that all 1 billion shillings was going to be refunded back to the Consolidated Fund when last financial year of 2023/24 was going to end so they decided to approach their neighbors, Manafwa district local government or UNRA to hire a grader which has recently started maintaining a few roads in the city.
He says hiring is not good because it’s very expensive in terms of paying the diver, buying fuel and paying the district.
In response, Ambrose Ochen, the Mbale City Clerk urged for calm saying they expect to get a brand new grader using local revenue which is going to solve these challenges.
Hakimu Watenyeli, one of the stakeholders who attended the baraza expressed his disappointment with the city for failing to repair a grader for the last two years.
He adds that when one goes to the city outskirt areas like Busamaga, Namatala, Mooni among others, roads are impassible.
James Kutosi, the Mbale City Public Relations Officer says that they were unable to repair the old grader to do road maintenance because it’s more expensive than buying a new one.
