Published on 13/08/2025
Government has this month activated a nationwide road maintenance programme to improve travel safety, reduce vehicle breakdowns, and enhance rural connectivity, an official said Wednesday.
“All our road maintenance stations, which number 23 across the country, are now on the ground carrying out grading, gravelling, drainage improvements, and vegetation clearing,” said Allan Ssempebwa, senior communications officer at the Ministry of Works and Transport (MoWT).
He added: “These measures are critical to keeping our roads alive, safe, and reliable.”
Some of the current maintenance works include grading and gravelling on the Kazo-Nyakaliro-Kabagole-Kyegegwa Road, repairs on the Adjumani-Sinyanya Gravel Road, gravel reshaping and drainage clearing along the Nabirumba-Buyende-Kidera Road, and works on the Villa Maria-Kyamulibwa-Kabulasoke Road in Masaka Station, among others.
Ssempebwa highlighted the importance of the programme for Uganda’s development initiatives, particularly the Parish Development Model (PDM), which aims to lift roughly 32 percent of Ugandans living below the poverty line into the money economy.
“Our teams have clear targets to improve the condition of Uganda’s roads from poor or fair to good and very good, and we are confident we will achieve them,” he said.
The MoWT also recently set up an in-house construction unit tasked with addressing bottlenecks along the Kampala-Jinja Highway and providing a rapid response in case of contractual gaps, a move welcomed by motorists who have long struggled with the country’s deteriorating roads.
Poor road conditions have been blamed for frequent vehicle breakdowns, crashes, and delays, especially during the rainy season when many routes are washed away or riddled with potholes.
In April, Members of Parliament raised concerns over the state of roads and bridges as the House debated sector budget priorities for the 2025/2026 financial year.
A recent study by the Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC) revealed that inadequate rural feeder roads remain a major bottleneck to Uganda’s food security.
According to police records, the country saw 25,107 road traffic crashes in 2024, a 6.4 percent increase from the previous year, with the highest number of incidents occurring between 6:00 p.m. and 7:59 p.m.
“Maintaining last-mile roads, including murram roads, is essential to economic activity and safety,” Ssempebwa noted.
“As this quarter of the financial year begins, expect to see smoother, safer, and more reliable travel for all road users,” he added.
