By Stanley Ebele
The major roads connecting Karamoja Sub-region to other regions are currently in a bad state owing to the onset of heavy rains that have battered the area since June.
With approximately 80 percent of the road network in the region made of marram, heavy rains have left many roads filled with huge potholes and in a slippery state.
This has often led to buses and heavy-duty vehicles getting stuck at bad spots causing passengers to spend long hours reaching their final destinations.
Passengers traveling from Kotido to other regions have to spend more hours on the way as drivers maneuver the roads at slow speeds.
Travelers going to Lira from Kotido spend about 7 hours on the way instead of the usual 3 hours on the 194 km distance while those travelling to Kaabong from Kotido spend 4 hours on a distance of 66 km that could last 1 and a half hours.
Similarly, the Kotido-Moroto Road is cumbersome with potholes over the 107 km road stretch.
Abdallah Okello, the manager of MHK Bus Company, said that the bad state of roads has led to increased cost on fuel and other expenses.
He explained that they hire locals to push the buses at the bad spots to a safer part of the road, hence the high cost of operation.
Brian Ebou, a driver who plies the Kotido-Kaabong Road, the marram dumped on one side of the road from Rengen-Lohom Sub County makes it more dangerous for the users.
He is appealing to the Ministry of Works and Transport to fix the deplorable condition of roads in Karamoja so as to ease mobility.
The bad state of roads in Karamoja has also hampered business, especially for people dealing in fresh foods as much of it perishes while in transit.
Zaituna Mazibo, a vendor at Kotido main market, said a lorry ferrying fresh food from Mbale to Kotido often spends days on the way as it maneuvers its way from Nakapiripirit to Kotido for days, causing damage to perishables.
Efforts to get a comment from the Ministry of Works and Transport were futile by press time, however, President Museveni has on several occasions promised to tarmac these roads amid concern by the ministry over heavy budget cuts.
The community of Karamoja and the leaders remain hopeful that the government will take urgent measures to address the deplorable state of roads in the region, which has become a nightmare to travelers.
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