By Micheal Kilibedda
Residents of Bumusomi Parish, Namabya Sub-county in Namisindwa District have launched a community fundraising campaign to repair the broken Bumusomi Bridge along the Kiwatsala–Bumusomi–Magale road, a district road.
The bridge collapsed a few weeks ago after heavy rainfall. It had shown signs of structural weakness for a long time, but authorities failed to take action.
Lt. Col. Michael Bisaawa, who donated timber and helped mobilize manpower, said the damaged bridge had put lives at risk, especially school-going children and churchgoers.
“We’ve suffered for the past month. The bridge had become a danger to the community. That’s why I decided to mobilize local leaders and political aspirants to contribute to the labor.” He said and expressed appreciation to all who contributed.
Khaukha Joseph, the LC2 Chairperson of Bumusomi Parish, commended the residents for their swift response and urged them to continue responding positively to community development initiatives.
Bwayo Emma, the Namisindwa District Male Youth Councilor and one of those who funded labor costs, said it is unfortunate that residents are forced to do work that should be handled by government.
“The road and bridge were budgeted for in the district budget, yet no work has started, even with just a few months left in the financial year,” he said.
Musamali Gerald, a parliamentary aspirant for Namisindwa County and another contributor, criticized the poor state of roads and bridges in the district, especially in his constituency.
He blamed this on shoddy work by district contractors. He cited the example of the Naminyikha Bridge in Namabya Sub-county, which collapsed just one week after its completion, despite costing UGX 78 million.
Bosco Nabboge, the Namisindwa District Assistant Resident District Commissioner (ARDC), praised the residents for their efforts and called on leaders to ensure that government funds are put to proper use.
He noted that many public projects fall short of standards due to corruption.
