SATURDAY VISION 6December 2, 2017 NEWS

BY CHARLES ETUKURI

Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) on Wednesday announced the UNRA starts constructing start of major construction of critical infrastructure in the Albertine region, which will see several roads in the districts of , Masindi, , Rakai, sh3.3 trillion oil roads Nwoya, Ssembabule, , Fort Portal and Mubende, NEBBI was the Kingfi sher oil fi eld ZOMBO ¥¢f Pakwach-Tang upgraded in order to achieve Critical¥ oil roads junstion (24km) operated by CNOOC the 2020 oil targets. ! Ltd under a joint venture with Park Murchison falls The road projects, which Legend Bugungu ¥¢f Total E&P Uganda Ltd and Junctionn ! UNRA estimates to cost Oil pipeline P! Sambiya Tullow Oil. sh3.3 trillion, are funded by Lot 1 !P! !P -Murchison An offi cial of the company, Wanseko ! ! falls the Exim Bank of China and Lot 2 !P! Sambiya Andrew Otuba, told the media the United Kingdom Export Lot 3 Bulisa that they constructed their Finance Bank. Exim Bank Lot 4 Masindi own road because of the Paliisa-Paara (Kasanja) will fund the construction Lot 5 (30km) diffi culties they experience in Lot 6 -Park junction of 600kms of roads, while ! transporting drilling materials, Lot 8 P! ! United Kingdom Export Lot 7 Biiso ! which in most cases were Kibaale-Kiziranfumbi (25.7km) !!P Finance Bank will fund the UKEF roads P! Kigumba transported using a barge. construction of 98kms of Roads under upgrade !P! “In most cases, we are forced roads, mainly in Hoima and ! Masindi to call the different trading Kaiso ! Kabarole districts. ! centres to ask if its threatening Addressing the media, while Masindi-Biiso! to rain and whenever we are inspecting the several roads Hohwa-Nyairongo-Kyarushesha(25km) !P! HOIMA ! told its raining we are forced ! (50km) earmarked for construction, !P! to cancel disposal of the waste !P! NAKASEKE UNRA’s executive director ALLEN KAGINA, Kaseeta-Lwera (15.5km) due to the poor roads,” Otuba !P! ! !P ! Allen Kagina noted that 2020 UNRA EXECUTIVE ! !P! said. Buhuka Buhimba-Nalweyo! was not far away and that the DIRECTOR Ngogole Rwera !P! -Bulamagi (51km) Authority was committed to I have learnt from our „ ENVIRONMENT ensuring that the roads do DRC ! ! UNRA land acquisition technical team that we NTOROKO not remain an obstacle to oil ! Bulamagi Masode specialist, Matovu also are on track and doing ! production. well. Initially, I have to noted that 60% of the land “I am happy to note that this admit, I was worried we ! KIBOGA they intended to acquire for ! road network is doing well. ! !P! the road construction was would not deliver the BUNDIBUGYO Last year, we were here and roads by 2020. ! ! either in the National Parks Fortportal ! the roads were terrible. I have P! Mulamagi-Igayaza ! managed by the Uganda Wild P! -Kakumiro (42km) learnt from our technical team ! MUBENDE Life Authority or the National Kyenjojo ! that we are on track and are ! ! Forestry Authority. !P! MITYANA doing well. Initially, I have region also known as critical ! He said they had started to admit, I was worried we oil roads. ! compensating people affected would not make it to 2020. The roads earmarked for ! by the projects. ! But they have assured us that tarmacking include, the KYEGEGWA Lusalira-Nkonge-Lumegere (55km) Kagina said UNRA was in we need to tackle the priority Hoima- Wanseeko Kamwenge !P! talks with NFA and UWA areas, which include, bridges, Road 111 kms, which will run P! GOMBA because some of the roads ! Lumegere swamps, escarpments and the through Hoima and Bullisa KASESE !P will pass through important sharp corners,” Kagina said. districts; Masindi-Biiso road !P! ecological areas that must be She said these roads would (54km); Masindi-Bugungu IBANDA Ssembabule preserved at all costs. !P experience heavy traffi c, but via Murchison Falls National Lumegere-Ssembabule KALUNGU “The oils will never last that this would be for a short Park (80km); Kaseeta- forever and in construction of KIRUHURA Villa Maria time, especially during the Lwera via Bugoma Forest LYANTONDE ! some of these roads, we must construction of the refi nery, (16km); Hihwa-Nyairongo- RUBIRIZI be mindful of the future of the airport and the pipeline. Kyarushesha road (25km) in BUHWEJU ! country which lies in tourism,” Kagina said they would start ; Wanseeko- ! Kagina said. MASAKA with the construction of the Bugungu Road (23km) in BUSHENYI MBARARA In November, President most critical areas needed Buliisa district; Buhimba- Kyotera-Rakai (20km) ! Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and most by the oil industry. Nalweyo-Kakindu-Kakumiro- his counterpart Tanzanian MITOOMA ! Other offi cials who Mubende road (93 km) which SHEEMA Kyotera counterpart John Pombe Rakai !P! accompanied Kagina are; will go through Mubende and ! Magufuli launched the Davis Muhwezi (transport Kibaale districts. ISINGIRO construction of an oil pipeline economist), William Matovu Other are the Lusalira- stretching from Hoima to (land acquisition specialist), Nkonge-Ssembabule road kms) in Bundibugyo district. 77 new staff so that there was per day that will be delivering Tanga Port in Tanzania. The Michael Ochola (bridges (97km); Kyotera-Rakai road no compromise on the work construction materials for the 1,445 kilometre East African engineer). (20kms); Bugungu Buliisa „ TASK FORCE plan we already had,” she pipeline, airport and refi nery Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) (29kms) in Bullisa; Kabale- Kagina said UNRA had said. construction, but UNRA will be able to transport „ ROADS EARMARKED Kiziranfumbi (30kms) in created a special task force Kagina said the other road offi cials would ensure that the 216,000 barrels of oil per day. FOR TARMACKING Hoima, Tangi Junction Paraa for the oil roads headed by projects that UNRA was Uganda roads are not abused. It will be the world’s longest Last June, the Government including Tangi gate and Ochola, whose duty is to handling before the oil roads “We shall regulate the axle electrically heated crude oil said it would prioritise the Emmi Bridges (22 kms) in ensure the fast-tracking of came on board, would not be load to ensure that there is no pipeline. construction of roads across Nwowa districts; Kabwoya- all the stages in the road affected. overloading of the trucks,” he Uganda’s current oil reserves the country, but special Buhuka (43 kms) in Hoima construction. Muhwezi told Saturday noted. stand at 6.5 billion barrels emphasis would be on the and the Karugutu-Ntoroko via “In order for us to deliver Vision that they were One of the areas the UNRA with 1.7 billion recoverable networks in the Albertine Semuliki National Park (55 these roads, we had to recruit expecting close to 500 trucks and media team visited from the ground.