Fort Portal Residents Block Road Leading To New Taxi Park

Residents in Fort portal city have blocked the Nyakaseke park access in Bazaar ward central division Fort Portal.

Locals particularly business operators and Boda boda riders say the road is impassable and also has dangerous spots that have been exposing them to accidents .

The Business operators also say the road in question is in a sorry state and whenever it rains, water craves into their business areas making it difficult for their customers to access them leaving them counting losses.

Abel Tumwesige, a business operator along the Nyakaseseke road says for a long time they have decried the poor status of the road but the city authorities have declined to work on the road.

Customers cannot cross over to my shop because of the muddy road, at the end of the day, the council is demanding an operational license. How do they expect me to pay them when I am not working Abel added.

//Cue in Ninkora hanu Mukisenyi

Cue out Abantu nebeganya Kurabamu.”//

Another businessman in the area Wilson Amanyiire says the road is impassable and it is difficult for two vehicles to by-pass each other without colliding. He wants leaders to solve the impasse quickly to enable better traffic flow in the city.

Moses Alijuna, boda boda rider says motorists have since resorted to passing in walkways of pedestrians to avoid damage to their vehicles.

“Leaders during campaigns were all passing here shaking hands with us in spite of the COVID-19 rules but none of them has ever returned after the elections. We are suffering because you can fail to do business because people do not want to come since the road is bad," added Alijuna. He says they have resorted to closing the road by erecting banana stems so that the leadership in the City can wake-up and do something.

Rutoro

Cue in : Baitu nindora abantu anibabonana

Cue out : hati kokabura okagyaha." //

Theophilus Tibihika , the Fort Portal city town clerk condemned the actions of the residents saying it is uncalled for and they ought to have used formal means to communicate their grievances. “In some cases we don’t have enough money to work on all roads at once, it is wrong for the business operators to block the road," says Tibihiika.

He says he has instructed the Roads engineer Fort Portal to go and verify so that the road can quickly be worked on and have order restored. He says the city received only 800 million shillings from the road fund to work on the entire city roads, which he says is very little.

//Cue in : you see that is also indiscipline….

Cue out do better after January."//

When Uganda Radio Network attempted to secure comments from both the Central division Mayor Richard Muhumuza and Edison Ruyonga the Fort Portal City, their phones were switched off.

Nyakaseseke Road leads to the new taxi park hosting Kasese ,Mbarara and partly Bundibugyo stages.

Currently vehicles are using the alternative rout of  Malibo road to access other roads that can lead them out of the city to other districts