The Parliamentary Committee on Physical Infrastructure is scheduled to visit Amolatar District next Wednesday, November 11, to assess the state of key government roads, with the 88-kilometre Namasale-Ochero-Dokolo road and the 15.2-kilometre Atingi-Olik Swamp-Corner Namubere road expected to top the inspection agenda.
The committee’s visit is expected to provide an opportunity for lawmakers to assess the progress of planned road rehabilitation works and establish the challenges affecting the implementation of government infrastructure projects in the district.
The team will be led by committee chairman Mwine Mpaka, the Mbarara City South MP, and his deputy, Eng. William Taylor Tiyo, the Ayivu East MP. Kioga North MP Geoffrey Ocen Kiring is among the committee members expected to participate in the exercise, alongside other legislators.
In Amolatar, the legislators will inspect the 88-kilometre Namasale-Ochero-Dokolo road, a major transport corridor connecting the Lango sub-region to other parts of the country, particularly Central and Eastern Uganda.
The road has remained a subject of concern among residents and leaders because of its poor condition, which continues to affect the movement of people and goods, trade and access to essential services.
The committee will also assess the condition of the 15.2-kilometre road stretching from Atingi Trading Centre in Awelo Sub-county, through Olik Swamp, to Corner Namubere in Etam Town Council.
Ocen said the parliamentary inspection would help accelerate efforts towards upgrading the roads, particularly the long-awaited tarmacking of the Namasale-Ochero-Dokolo route.
He noted that President Museveni, in 2021, informed the Ministry of Works and Transport that he had received an expression of interest from China Railway Seventh Group Co. Ltd to pre-finance the upgrading of the road.
According to Ocen, the President subsequently directed the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) to enter into a two-year pre-financing arrangement with the company, with repayment expected to commence in the third year.
The road was also included in the ruling National Resistance Movement’s 2021–2026 manifesto, raising expectations among residents and local leaders for its development.
Before reaching northern Uganda, the committee will on Tuesday, November 10, visit Arua City to inspect aerodromes before travelling by road to Amolatar the following day. The team is expected to proceed to Alebtong District and other parts of Eastern Uganda as part of its oversight exercise.
The committee’s inspection comes after it visited the 38.2-kilometre Kikorongo-Bwera-Mpondwe road in western Uganda on November 4 to assess delays in its rehabilitation. The road connects Kasese District to the Democratic Republic of Congo border and serves as an important cross-border transport link.