LIRA, UGANDA – The Regional Traffic Officer (RTO) for North Kyoga, ASP Irene Chelangat, has publicly acknowledged serious safety concerns over road markings along the Lira-Soroti Highway, confirming that some markings are misleading and dangerously placed, with humps and overtaking lanes wrongly positioned on curves and corners .
Speaking in an interview with this publication, Chelangat admitted that repeated attempts to get the contractor, Mota-Engil Africa, to rectify the defects have yielded limited results.
“I wrote a letter to the contractor through the Ministry of Works and Transport, but nothing was done except a few were rectified,” Chelangat revealed. She decried the “misleading markings” that often see humps placed alongside corners, a combination that puts road users at high risk.
Chelangat further noted that the problematic design extends to almost all corners on the newly constructed section. “Sometimes, all corners are indicated as overtaking zones,” she said. She emphasised that as traffic officers, they are unable to penalise road users for violations that are caused by wrong or misleading signage.
Plans for High-Level Meeting
To resolve the stalemate, the RTO unveiled plans to hold a crucial meeting with the contractor’s project manager and the Regional Police Commander (RPC). The meeting aims to enforce compliance with road safety standards and compel the contractor to redesign the questionable markings.
“I have unveiled plans to meet with the project manager of Mota-Engil together with the Regional Police Commander,” Chelangat confirmed, signalling a tougher stance from the police.
Users’ Persistent Frustration
The RTO’s remarks come as road users, who have previously petitioned authorities, express growing frustration. As reported on Saturday, taxi operators under the Lira-Amolatar Taxi Drivers and Conductors Association, led by Mr. Kizito Okao, have been demanding guidance on the markings, particularly citing dangerous overtaking lanes on curves at Amach market, Agwata forest, and the S-section at Agwata Health Center.
“We have written several letters to the authorities, but our voices were not heard until now,” Okao said in a follow-up interview, reacting to the RTO’s acknowledgment. “We are glad that the RTO has confirmed our fears. Lives are at stake, and action must be taken now.”
The gravity of the situation was reinforced by Mr. Tonny Okello, a boda boda rider in Amach Town Council, who lost his son in an accident he attributes to the faulty signs.
Efforts to get a response from the project manager of Mota-Engil Africa were futile by press time, as their known contacts were reportedly unavailable . The company, a Portuguese firm contracted under the World Bank-funded North Eastern Road Corridor Asset Management Project (NERAMP), is responsible for the rehabilitation of the 66-kilometre Lira-Kamdini section .
As the RTO plans her next move and the contractor remains silent, the road that was meant to boost regional trade has become a source of anxiety for thousands of users navigating what they describe as a “death trap.”
