15 years after making the pledge, the government recently completed constructing the Ajeleik Bridge, which links Kapelebyong and Katakwi.
The bridge had been scheduled for repair as part of a rehabilitation plan for the whole Teso Sub-region, which had been flooded in 2007.
Read also:New Versova Bridge project in India gears up for completion in 2023
However, the damaged bridge, which serves as a major link between the two districts, has not been repaired since then. This has made it a death trap for road users, particularly during times of floods.
Mr. Francis Akorikin, chairperson of the Kapelebyong District, commended the bridge’s completion.
In an interview recently, he added that they are happy that individuals will resume using the bridge.
What the delayed the completion of the Ajeleik Bridge
Poor funding, he said, had caused the completion of the Sh8.9 billion bridge to be delayed. Also, the work had been split among three different contractors.
The bridge would be ready for commissioning by the end of the month, he added.
The 2007 floods, which claimed many lives, swept Ajeleik Bridge away. Locals claim that since then, close to 15 people have died as a result of the makeshift bridge.
The construction of the Ajeleik Bridge, according to Mr. Geoffrey Omolo, the chairperson of the Katakwi District, was long overdue since it had made transportation in the area difficult.
The bridge’s completion, according to Ms. Grace Akello of Ajeleik Parish in Acowa Sub-county, is good news, particularly when the Ajeleik stream gets flooded during times of heavy rain.
Mr. Musa Ecweru, the state minister for works, said that the works will soon come to an end.
Many roads and bridges in the Teso Sub-region are deteriorating, owing to flooding and inadequate funding.
At the peak of the floods that wreaked havoc on the sub-region in 2019, the majority of the bridges in the Katakwi, Kapelebyong, Kalaki, and Bukedea districts were weakened.
The government budgeted more than Sh500 billion to restore the several bridges that were being badly eroded by the country’s heavy rain at the time.
However, many of those bridges in the area are still in poor condition.
