Boda Boda riders scramble with fuel loaded truck on Ayilla bridge on Parombo road. PHOTO by Patrick Okaba Nebbi, Uganda | URN | Dilapidated bridges and deteriorating roads across the West Nile sub-region are disrupting trade, increasing transport costs and discouraging investment, with businesses and residents calling for urgent government intervention. Across Nyaravur, Angal Town Council, Parombo, Akworo and Erussi sub-counties in Nebbi District, bridges built more than three decades ago have fallen into disrepair.
Collapsed approaches, cracked structures and missing guardrails have turned key transport routes into dangerous bottlenecks, slowing the movement of people and goods. During the rainy season, bridges such as Ayilla, Pacing and Akuru become nearly impassable, leaving heavy trucks stranded for hours or even days along the Nyaravur–Parombo, Nebbi–Goli, Zombo and Vurra road corridors. Traders say the poor road network has become a major obstacle to business, forcing transporters to spend more on fuel, vehicle repairs and security while delaying deliveries.
Marvin Okaba, the Deputy Managing Director of Rock Global Oils Limited, said the poor condition of roads linking Nyaravur, Parombo, Goli and Vurra has significantly affected the company’s operations. He explained that the company, which has been transporting fuel and other goods since 2008, spends a substantial portion of its earnings repairing trucks damaged by the poor road network. “The company has 26 trucks, and each truck loaded with fuel carries cargo worth about Shs64 million.
When a truck gets stuck on muddy roads, the company incurs huge financial losses and faces serious security risks,” Okaba said. He noted that journeys that should take less than an hour often take several hours during the rainy season, disrupting fuel supplies to service stations across the region. “Bad roads and dilapidated bridges slow everything down, literally and economically.
The longer our trucks spend on the road, the more fuel they consume, increasing transportation costs and reducing profitability,” he added. Nebbi District Chairperson George Othuba acknowledged that many of the bridges along the Nyaravur–Angal–Parombo road have outlived their design life and are no longer suitable for heavy vehicles. He said the bridges have developed cracks and damaged guardrails but remain in use because there are no alte…
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