Part of the Jinja mainstreet road, which was refurbished through funding from the World bank under the USMID project.
Leaders in Jinja City are demanding additional funding for the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development- USMID.
The City has over the past four phases received 42 Billion Shillings to rehabilitate roads within the central business district. However, leaders argue that the funds are inefficient to construct more roads in the city.
Bernard Mbayo, the Jinja City Speaker says that the project has boosted the city’s efforts in improving the quality of roads within the central business area, however, several other roads are filled with potholes and in dire need of quick facelifts.
Mbayo further argues that the entire city is comprised of a 400km road network coverage, but the past three USMID phases have covered an average of three kilometers of tarmac roads which have left most of the sorry roads unattended too.
Mbayo also notes that, much as they are good quality roads equipped with standard drainage systems, green zones, and solar lights, the slow pace of refurbishment, in turn, derails development. He adds that business people have shunned setting up businesses along poor roads.
Mbayo adds that responsible government agencies should liaise with World Bank officials to ensure that, USMID and the local governments are boosted with funds to construct an average road coverage of 100 kilometers each. He says that this will improve infrastructural development in different cities and municipalities throughout the country.
The USMID project coordinator, Isaac Mutenyo says that their main interest lies in refurbishing roads within central business districts of all beneficiary cities and municipalities before expanding such road infrastructural development projects to the outskirts.
Mutenyo adds that they will construct four more roads in Jinja City before the close of the 2022/2023 financial year.
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