Kichwamba Residents Demand Funds For Road Repairs

http://ugandaradionetwork.com/a/story.php?s=58371

Residents of Kichwamba Sub County are protesting the failure by Kabarole district local government to remit money levied on Pozzolana truck drivers.

Pozzolana is a fine, sandy volcanic ash, which can form compounds possessing cement-like properties. It can be used for making concrete structures or combined with other elements to fortify cement. In Uganda pozzolanic deposits occur in the Rwenzori region and in Kisoro district. In Kabarole, Pozzolana is mainly mined in Kichwamba in the parishes of Bwanika and Nyantabooma. The miners sell the material to construction companies, individual builders and Hima cement factory.

The residents now complain that the roads in the area have been damaged by the heavy trucks which collect the mineral from the mines and have never been repaired, even when the truck drivers are paying money to the district.

Records seen by Uganda Radio Network indicate there are more than 70 trucks which ferry pozzolana from the mines. Each financial year the truck drivers through their association pay 80 million shillings to the district, which it remits to the sub county to rehabilitate the roads that have been damaged.

However in the 2012/2013 and 2013/2014 financial year, no funds have been remitted to the sub county, which has angered residents.

Moses Baguma, a resident of Bwanika parish, says the roads are impassable especially during the rainy season, which has hindered the residents from accessing markets and health facilities. Baguma says sometimes traders and children are forced to find alternative routes to markets and schools.

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Charles Businge, the Kichwamba Local Council 3 chairperson, says that the district has never remitted the money to the sub county. Businge says that on rainy days the truck drivers continue to use the road and can’t be stopped since they have receipts indicating that they pay to the district.

Businge says each financial year, the sub county is allocated 12 million shillings for road repairs, which isn’t adequate and yet the funds from the truck drivers, if released, would go a long way in maintaining the roads in the sub county.

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However, Moses Ikagobya, the district secretary for works, says the truck drivers defaulted and have never remitted the money to the district. Ikagobya says they demand more than 160 million shillings from the truck drivers. Asked why they are allowed to operate and yet they have defaulted, Ikagobya says the district opened a case at Fort Portal police station against the truck drivers.

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But a source at Fort Portal police station who handled the case says the file was closed after the drivers paid the money.

Ikagobya, however, insists that the truck drivers still owe the district money.