Angry Kanungu Residents Plant Bananas, Trees to Protest Poor State of Road

Angry residents in Nyakabungo Parish in Rugyeyo Sub County in Kinkizi East County in Kanungu District have staged a peaceful demonstration protesting the poor state of roads in their area. The residents rose up in arms around 10:00 am and planted banana, cassava, tea, fig-trees (ebitooma) and coffee trees in the middle of Nyakabungo-Kanungu road, saying it is no longer motorable. 

They told our reporter that they have repeatedly asked their leaders at various levels to work on the road from Kambuga through Nyakabungo to Rugyeyo in vain. The angry residents carried tree branches and walked through the newly created Nyakabungo Town Council singing and cursing their area leaders whom they accused of ignoring their pleas for a long time.


Our reporter also found tea farmers whose vehicles were stuck in the middle of the road at Jinja- Kanungu Road who lamented about the transport fares, which have more than doubled because of the impassable roads. A team of police officers, who rushed to disperse the protesters failed to make it as their vehicle got stuck along Nyakabungo- Rugyeyo road.

Their efforts to push the vehicle hit a snag forcing them to abandon it and run for over 10 kilometers to the scene of the protest only to find the residents had dispersed. A bulldozer had to be deployed to help remove the trucks carrying the tea and the police vehicle.

Julius Tukamushaba, the Rugyeyo Sub County LC 3 Chairperson, says the worst affected roads are those under the care of Uganda National Roads Authority-UNRA, adding that he had informed the relevant authorities about the same but nothing has been done.

Eng Alison Twine, the Kabale Station Manager, said efforts are being made to ensure all affected roads in Kanungu District and elsewhere are worked on in the shortest time possible.